


A New World

by flyby



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: F/F, Post-Canon, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-03
Updated: 2010-07-03
Packaged: 2017-10-10 09:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/98017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyby/pseuds/flyby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Monsters, mages, and mystic artes. Estelle undertakes a new journey at Ioder's request, and feels her way through the bewildering new sphere of personal relationships.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New World

**Author's Note:**

> Originally intended to be a shortish one-shot, this turned out longer than expected. I still have no idea whether it hangs together as a whole, but at this point I am pretty much done with it. Set about a year after the end of the game.

Mantaic is still hot. Estelle wipes her brow discreetly with the back of her glove, glancing around at the commotion. There are Knights everywhere, her own escort in their silver and white mixing with the blue of the Flynn Brigade as the local garrison comes out to meet them. To her surprise, though, there are also mages scattered through the crowd, white hoods nodding like bellflowers among the soberly clad townspeople – most of the village seems to have turned out for their arrival. Estelle smiles and waves to the children, and turns to her bodyguard.

"Yuri, I don't see Flynn here..."

"Yeah, me either." Yuri is shading his eyes with one hand, glancing about.

"We did make better time through the mountains than we expected," Judith points out quietly from behind them. "We weren't really due to arrive until tomorrow, you know."

"That's true." Estelle clasps her hands together, looking around again at the bustle. "I didn't realise it would be this busy. I hope we aren't disrupting anything..."

"Relax." Yuri shifts, his hand tightening on his sword in response to something she can't see, but after a moment his stance eases as Karol squirms through the crowd.

"Hey, Estelle! They've put aside a whole _house_ as an Imperial Residence, it's awesome! Come on, this way!" Despite the heat, he's positively bouncing, and Estelle wonders limply where he gets his energy. The noon sun is like a physical weight, baking down on her, and her travelling dress is sticking to her unpleasantly.

"Easy, boss." Yuri catches Karol by the strap of his bag before he can go haring off again. "We've still got these guys," he jerks his head in the direction of the wagon and the Knights clustered around it, "to deal with."

"Yes." Estelle takes a deep breath and turns to her Knights. "Sergeant Briggs, please escort us to the Imperial residence and deploy your men as you see fit." She's not so naïve as to think she'll get away without guards posted, even in this remote outpost of the Empire.

"Yes, Your Highness." Sergeant Briggs salutes neatly, and turns to give orders to the Knights – all of them handpicked by Flynn for this no-doubt prestigious duty. Estelle wonders what they must think, being forced to follow her about on what amounts to a pilgrimage around the cities of the Empire. No matter how it's dressed up with meetings and audiences and reports sent back to Ioder, she knows that she is still very young, and probably easily mistaken for any other silly little noblewoman.

"All right! Brave Vesperia, fall out!" Karol punches the air, setting off with a determined stride. Estelle cannot help but smile at the way he has grown into his position; even six months ago, he would have had one eye looking back over his shoulder to check that they were really following.

The Imperial residence, to Estelle's delight, turns out to be a long building on the main street, within clear sight of the oasis and the now-defunct blastia. The architecture is fascinating in that it is so clearly designed for the climate; although the front facade has no windows, the stonework is pierced with elaborately patterned holes, to catch the breeze, and the upper floor boasts a long colonnaded gallery divided with openwork screens. The housekeeper curtsies profusely as she shows them to their rooms, decked out in plain white linen, and Estelle stands at the balcony rail for a moment, inhaling the faint green scent of the oasis, before heading determinedly to the bath.

A long cool soak and a fresh gown do a lot to restore her flagging energy. By the time Yuri knocks on the door, with the sun halfway to the horizon and the Sands of Kogorh a shimmering fire in the heat-hazed distance, Estelle has gravitated back to the balcony where the housekeeper has set the little table with a platter of fruit and a pitcher of refreshingly cool water.

"Come in," she calls politely, most of her attention taken up with the puzzling activity of a group of mages out by the blastia shell in the oasis. Their tiny white-robed figures are clustered in the shallow, gesticulating incomprehensibly at each other; Estelle has to wonder what has brought them here.

"Hey." Yuri wanders up to stand beside her, tossing a cactus-fruit up and down with one hand. Glancing sideways at him, Estelle is faintly surprised to find that he's tied his hair back in a loose tail; somehow it makes him look very different, while still being entirely Yuri.

"Hello." Estelle smiles at him, folding her hands on the balcony rail. "Yuri, do you know what those mages are doing here?"

"Not a clue." Yuri props himself casually against a carved pillar, glancing out at the oasis before focusing on her. "So what are your plans? Karol took Repede to restock at the store, and I think Judy went to check in with Ba'ul. You don't have to see the mayor until tomorrow, right?"

"That's right." Estelle bites her lip; this is an official Imperial mission, and she shouldn't be selfish, but... "I'd really like to look around the town. Every time I've been here, we've been caught up in other things, and this is such a remote part of the Empire that the Imperial Library doesn't have much information about it. Would that be a problem?"

"What, are you planning to fix that single-handedly?" Yuri looks extremely dubious, and Estelle laughs a little. "You're the client here – want to head out, then?"

"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" Estelle wonders; Yuri shrugs.

"With as many Knights as are wandering about the place, I can't see there being any problems. Why, you worried?"

"Of course not," Estelle protests. Yuri should know very well that she can take care of herself – and that she trusts him.

"So, let's go." He pushes off the pillar, snatching up his sword from the chair he'd propped it against.

"Yes, let's." Estelle lets him lead until they reach the street, the sandy ground hot even through the leather soles of her shoes.

"Where to first?" Yuri asks, looking back over his shoulder, and Estelle considers.

"The oasis," she decides, setting out determinedly – perhaps she will be able to speak to one of the mages, find out what they are doing with the blastia. Before she can take ten steps, though, she is brought up short by a voice calling her name.

"Miss Estelle, Miss Estelle!"

"Whoa, easy!" Yuri drops to his knees, catching the hurtling children by the shoulders before they can smack right into her. Estelle smiles.

"Layla! Alph!"

"My, how you've grown!" Estelle starts as Judith appears out of nowhere, though Yuri doesn't seem surprised at all. Alph and Layla beam up at all three of them, thrusting forward hands full of flowers.

"For me?" Estelle bends down to accept the blossoms, bright red palm lilies that grow in patches all around the oasis, inhaling their sweet fresh scent. "Thank you very much!" Alph blushes, toeing at the ground, but Layla stares up at her, wide-eyed.

"Mommy said that Miss Estelle is a _princess._" It's obvious that she isn't sure whether to believe this, and Estelle supposes that she doesn't much resemble a child's idea of what royalty should look like, even in her carefully-tailored travelling gown. Judith's expression says that she is laughing silently, and Yuri is wearing his usual mask of disinterest; Estelle opens her mouth, searching for the right words, but he speaks over her.

"Estelle'd still be Estelle, princess or no princess, right?"

"Right," Judith and Layla agree in unison, and Estelle bites her lip.

"Yuri," she begins, not knowing whether she wants to thank him for the way he always treats her like a person first and foremost, or remind him that on this journey she really must be the Princess. She pauses, though, as a growing cacophony of clinking metal and jingling harness catches her attention. "What...?"

"Sounds like Flynn finally made it," Yuri says smoothly, rising easily to his feet. Belatedly, Estelle realises that it must really have been months since he'd seen the Commandant; Flynn had already left Zaphias by the time Brave Vesperia had been hired in as her bodyguards for this trip.

"It's really Flynn?" Alph bounces in place before taking off towards the centre of town, Layla trailing in his wake. Estelle glances at Yuri, waiting for his nod before following, albeit more sedately. She still can't imagine how Raven could have managed the antics he did, in this heat.

"Remembering the last trip?" Judith matches her pace, strolling easily beside her as they head towards the knot of Knights dismounting by the fountain.

"A little." Estelle folds her hands in front of her, too well trained to fiddle with the seams of her dress or gloves. "It's nice, to be able to travel again, but it's not the same without everybody."

"So, you miss Rita?" Judith murmurs, and Estelle feels her face heat.

"I-it's not like that –"

"Oh, of course not." Judith is definitely laughing at her; Estelle searches desperately for another topic, and is intensely grateful when Yuri speaks up from behind them.

"Just tell me I'm not the only one who keeps expecting the Old Man to pop up with one of his sketchy comments."

"I don't know, I'm quite enjoying having people speak to me rather than to my breasts," Judith says blithely, which doesn't help Estelle's blush. Yuri makes an amused noise as they approach the cluster of Knights.

"Oh, look, here's Flynn!" Estelle says hastily, speeding her steps as the gathering crowd parts for her. Judith drops back behind her left shoulder as Yuri steps forward, a solid watchful presence on the right. Flynn, who is giving orders to his lieutenant, looks up sharply at the sound of her voice.

"Your Highness." Estelle doesn't miss the way he glances to Yuri as he bows his head to her. "You must have made good time; we weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

"We arrived earlier today." Estelle can't help but smile; even with his serious Commandant face on, there's something so earnest and _good_ about Flynn. "The journey has been quite uneventful."

"I'm relieved to hear it." Flynn glances around at the assembled townspeople before focusing on the mayor who has bustled up still in his work-day clothing. "I need to see to the garrison right now; with your permission, Your Highness, I will join you tomorrow to hear the concerns of the people."

"Of course." Estelle smiles and folds her hands together. "A room has been prepared for you in the Imperial residence, Commandant."

"That's not –" Flynn visibly chokes himself off, and Estelle is sure she can _feel_ Yuri smirking behind her as he regroups himself. Judith murmurs something that sounds suspiciously like "Adorable," and Estelle suppresses an astonished giggle.

"Ah, I'm honoured by your consideration, Your Highness." Flynn bows politely before turning his attention back to the Knights, and Estelle starts a little as Yuri nudges her discreetly.

"Leave him to it. Where next?"

"Um." Estelle considers this seriously. "I... should probably go pay my respects to the mayor..."

"Leave it for now," Judith advises unexpectedly, slipping past her to forge a path through the crowd.

"Yeah, he wasn't expecting you today; you can do the formal greetings and gift-giving thing tomorrow." Yuri eyes her sideways. "You wanted to go down to the oasis and talk to the mages, right?"

"You're right," Estelle realises – how rude of her, to think of importuning the mayor when he's so clearly in the middle of his work day! "Let's go."

* * *

The oasis is as tranquil and calm a refuge from the day's heat as ever. Estelle eyes the water longingly, wishing that her dignity as a representative of the Imperial family would permit her to step out of her shoes and into the little waves that roll up the shore. She starts a little when Repede stalks past her, dipping his head to nose at the water before drinking.

"Hi, guys." Karol comes puffing up behind Repede, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Man, it's hot."

"Really?" Judith strides easily out into the shallows, boots in hand, and glances back at Estelle. "I can't say I'd noticed. Are you coming?"

"Am I...?" Estelle wonders, eyes sliding past Judith to the pale spire of the blastia, further along the shore, and the mages standing waist-deep around it. "Oh! Yes, I am!" Gleefully, she kicks off her shoes, running to leave them neatly beneath a shady palm before splashing inelegantly after Judith. Though she holds it as high as she decently can, the hem of her dress begins to soak up water almost immediately.

"Can I help you?" One of the mages looks up from the book he's clutching, peering at them over the top of his glasses. "Wait, aren't you...?"

"I hope we aren't interrupting anything..." Estelle begins, and Judith cuts in smoothly as the mage opens his mouth.

"You'll have to excuse us; we've only just arrived, you see, and we're really _terribly_ curious about what you might be doing out here." It's the way she says it, Estelle thinks; the tone of voice that's just a little lower and breathier than usual, the way she leans forward, as though everything the mage has to say is of terrible importance. Estelle has had the best education in the arts and sciences, in governance and swordsmanship, that the Empire can provide, but she has never learned how to speak to someone in this way. All she can do is do her best to look interested and attentive, which is hardly a stretch.

The mage visibly preens. "Well, as to that, we were sent here by the Imperial Commission to investigate the monster situation – something seems to be keeping the local monsters away from the town, and it certainly isn't the Imperial Knights." He sniffs, and Estelle frowns, because while half of her wants to point out the injustice he's doing to the Knights, who have been risking their lives to protect every town and city in the Empire since the defeat of the Adephagos, half of her is also aware that he's right. They hadn't seen a single monster once they got past the outer boundary of the cactus fields this morning, though the patrolling Knights had been every bit as visible as the farmers.

"So you think it may have something to do with the blastia?" Judith's voice sharpens, and Estelle realises with a little shock that her whole posture has changed; she almost looks poised to attack. A faint sound, almost on the border of hearing, makes her look up to the sky, to the distant shadow flitting above the backdrop of the western mountains.

"Ba'ul," she realises, and after a moment Judith visibly relaxes, but the damage is done; the mage is eyeing them suspiciously.

"If you don't mind, we're a little busy here." He hefts his book, flicking ostentatiously through the the pages.

"Really? You certainly don't seem to be getting anywhere fast," Judith points out with a faint smile; Estelle chokes back a shocked giggle as the mage humphs and turns his back on them.

Splashing slowly back to the shore, Estelle wriggles her toes in the wet sand and thinks about this new revelation. Judith is surely right that the blastia cannot be producing any effect; without its core to draw in aer, it has become nothing more than an inert relic, a monument to its creators and to the age of the blastia. It's troubling, though, to think that _something_ is acting as a kind of barrier, repelling monsters. If aer is being used up, even in the absence of blastia, what does that mean for everything they fought to achieve?

"What's that face for?"

Estelle starts; she'd been so absorbed in her uncomfortable thoughts that her feet had carried her up the shore on autopilot. "Oh – Yuri." Collecting her scattered wits, Estelle sinks down to sit beside Repede in the shade of the tree, looking up at the sky. "They say that something is keeping the monsters away – do you think it will affect the aer?"

"Huh." Yuri drops down to sit beside, laying his sword across his knees. "I guess we didn't see any after we got in sight of the town, did we?"

"Yes." Estelle bites her lip. "I can't _feel_ anything different, but I don't know if I'd be able to tell if something was wrong, anyway."

"Ba'ul thinks the spirits would let you know, if there was a problem," Judith says casually, leaning against the trunk of the palm tree with her arms crossed. Estelle nods slowly.

"That's probably true." She can feel the presence of the spirits, if she concentrates, but she hasn't really spoken with any of them for a while. "But why would the mages think the blastia was responsible?" It doesn't make sense, and Estelle has always thought of mages as running on logic as much as magic. Perhaps her view has just been coloured by all the time she has spent with Rita.

"I guess old habits die hard," Yuri says with a shrug, and Karol flops over onto his back in the sand, staring at the sky.

"Yeah, they must have spent their whole lives working on blastia." He laughs, rubbing at his nose. "Man, if Rita was here she'd probably go off on them, huh?"

Estelle giggles, because she can just see that – Rita would lecture them in that disgusted tone of voice that she reserves for idiots who think they know what they're doing. Then she'd declare them a waste of her time and stalk off, and Estelle would have to coax her back into a good mood with tea and cakes and books from her collection. She swallows, closing her eyes to feel the cooling water-scented breeze on her skin; she's been selfish enough already, insisting on her dragging her friends along on this journey, and lucky that Brave Vesperia were able to accompany her. They have a lot of business, these days.

Smiling, Estelle remembers the nights they'd spent, before Tarqaron, plotting out the guild emblem in pencil scribbles on the back of one of Karol's maps. She'd conceived of it during that terrible time at Alexei's mercy; as she'd drifted in and out of aersick dreams, Brave Vesperia had been a constant comfort, a fixed and shining point to cling to. It had seemed only proper that the guild should go into battle beneath the star banner.

"Hey." Yuri's quiet voice breaks into her thoughts, and Estelle opens her eyes to a deep blue sky and lengthening shadows, the sun dipping toward the western mountains. Judith and Karol have vanished, and Yuri is sitting with his back propped against a tree, watching her. "You still with us?"

"Yes, I'm sorry." Estelle jumps up, reaching for her shoes, but he stops her with a hand on her arm.

"Easy. There's no hurry, right?" A few feet away, Repede yawns massively and clambers to his feet to shake himself violently, sand flying in all directions as Estelle and Yuri flinch away. By the time he's done, his fur is sticking out every which way in clumps, and Estelle can't help but giggle; Yuri's face is every bit as funny a sight.

* * *

The cool of the evening is a stark and refreshing contrast to the heat of the day, and the air has come alive with the fragile perfume of night-blooming cactus flowers. Estelle leans back into the unexpected comfort of her balcony chair, inhaling the delicate fragrance in long heady breaths. Like the cactus flowers, the town itself seems to bestir itself to life in the evening; the streets are suddenly full of people, villagers and off-duty Knights alike, heading out to congregate at the inn or the fountain. For the moment, Estelle is content to watch the sun disappearing behind the mountains, the sway of the palm trees in the soft breeze. Across the street, Yuri is all but hidden in the shadows as he leans arms-crossed and thoughtful against a wall, Repede stretched out at his feet. Estelle wonders what he could be waiting for; Judith has already passed by, heading into the centre of town, and Karol is training down by the oasis, breaking rocks with his hammer.

Her curiosity is answered shortly, as Yuri straightens, turning toward someone – oh, of course. Flynn. Estelle smiles at the sight of him, his hair a pale flag in the gathering dusk, and watches as he kneels to pet Repede. He's out of his formal armour, though still in Knightly blues, and Estelle can't really tell in the low light, but she's certain Yuri is smiling.

Even at this distance, she feels a little like she's intruding, but at the same time she can't quite help but watch; they're just so different together, Yuri subtly relaxed and Flynn somehow more open than he ever allows himself to be around anyone else. Estelle smiles in delight as Yuri tips back his head to laugh, nudging Flynn comfortably with one shoulder. She imagines that Flynn must be blushing; his face is turned down, but he doesn't move away from Yuri. Estelle tries to imagine what she might do, if it was her in this type of situation with – with somebody, but her frame of reference is limited to books, which she has learned are not an acceptable substitute for true experience, and to the little interactions she has observed around her. Even the thought of taking someone's hand feels a little presumptuous and embarrassing; she wonders whether she will ever be as easily comfortable with someone as Yuri and Flynn clearly are with each other.

Deeply buried in her private musings, the sound of a minor commotion out by the water doesn't really register until the breeze changes direction, bringing a familiar irate voice with it.

"...all idiots, wasting your time on this!"

Estelle gasps, bouncing to her feet so quickly that her head spins and she has to lean on the balcony as she stares out towards the blastia and the knot of mages still huddled there – mages now backing away from the person gesticulating at them. Even in the twilight, that auburn head is unmistakeable, and Estelle makes an embarrassingly squeaky sound of delight before she can quite compose herself.

"Rita! Rita!" Stretching up onto her tiptoes, Estelle leans out, waving wildly. Across the street, Yuri and Flynn start toward her at a run, as though afraid she will fall, but Estelle has never felt lighter, because down by the oasis Rita has left off abusing the mages and is standing stock-still at the edge of the water, staring up at her. It's really her. Giddy with happiness, Estelle darts along the balcony and down the stairs at a headlong rush, slipping past the Knights on duty and out of the door.

"Your Highness!"

"Lady Estellise!"

"Estelle, wait up!" Of all the voices, only Yuri's is amused rather than alarmed.

"Rita!" It's been so long that she can't quite keep from throwing her arms around her friend.

"E-Estelle?!" Rita freezes up, standing stiff in her arms until Estelle, coming to her senses, pulls back, trying to compose herself.

"Rita, I'm so glad to see you!"

"Yeah, that much was obvious," Yuri remarks from behind her, laughter lurking beneath his voice. Rita scowls despite the bright flush of her face – which looks to be at least partially sunburn, Estelle realises with concern, noting the worn salt-stained clothing and the smears of dirt on Rita's hands and knees – and rounds on Yuri.

"You, shut up! What the hell are you all doing here, anyway?"

"We're guarding Estelle, of course!" Karol plants his hammer in the sand, puffing out his chest with guild pride, and Estelle clasps her hands in front of her, beaming.

"I'm representing Ioder on a tour of the Empire, to hear the concerns of the people and address their troubles."

"Huh." Rita scowls, but her face is still red. "You mean, you're travelling about sticking your nose in everyone's business and trying to look after everyone but yourself again, right?"

"Yeah, that's about the shape of it."

"Yuri!" Estelle and Flynn protest at the same time. Yuri just nudges Flynn until he meets his eyes, grinning in a way that makes Estelle flush and look hastily back to Rita.

"Um, Rita, are you here with the other mages?"

"Those morons?" Rita makes a scornful noise. "I wouldn't work with them if you paid me. I am investigating the pseudo-barrier effect, though. I have some ideas, but I still need to do more testing."

"That's amazing!" Estelle beams, and Rita flushes again.

"It's not that –"

"My," Judith breaks in, ambling up from the direction of the town, "Are we having some sort of reunion?"

Rita starts, and peers around suspiciously. "Tell me the Old Man isn't here too."

Yuri shrugs one-shouldered. "Haven't seen him."

"Like that means much," Rita mutters, folding her arms; Yuri shakes his head and snags Flynn by the arm.

"Whatever. Don't stay out too late, kids." Flynn, Estelle notices, doesn't protest Yuri's grip as they vanish into the night. Judith is watching them too, a slight smile on her face before she turns to Estelle, one eyebrow raised. Estelle, feeling her face heat, turns hastily back to Rita.

"You'll come and stay with us, won't you?"

"Yeah!" Karol chimes in, edging prudently away from Rita's fist as she turns her scowl on him. "It'll be just like old times!"

"I don't know..." Rita starts, but Judith interrupts her lightly.

"Of course you can. You can stay with Estelle, she has plenty of room in that royal suite."

"Yes!" Estelle smiles hopefully. "There really is lots of space, and you won't have to spend your money at the inn..."

"Well..." Rita visibly wavers, before sighing. "Okay, okay. I wanted to talk to you about your formula anyway."

"Yay!" Estelle claps her hands in delight, thrilled when Rita smiles a little, uncertain and awkward. This is going to be so much _fun_.

* * *

"Wow." Rita dumps her pack on the balcony table, staring around. "I guess they're weren't kidding about the royal suite; this is way fancy for such a poky little town."

"Really?" Estelle bites her lip, looking around at the muslin-canopied twin beds,the intricately-latticed white furniture, the subdued pattern of the tiles on the walls that give way to smooth marble in the bathroom. "Is that bad?"

"Just expensive." Rita shrugs, and Estelle can't help but notice the way she's eyeing the archway that leads into the marble-tiled bathroom. "I guess cactus-farming must pay better than I thought. Is there water in there?"

"Cactus products are certainly quite sought after," Estelle says, biting her lips shut on the wealth of facts that come to mind as Rita smirks at her.

"I guess you're still a walking library, huh?"

"Um." Estelle ducks her head, takes refuge in manners. "Would you like to bathe? There's a pump, but it should be a lot less effort with two..."

"Hm." Kicking out of her boots, Rita pads into the bathroom, looking thoughtful. Estelle hangs back by the doorway, uncertain whether she's intruding, as Rita paces around the huge stone tub, brown knotted in calculation.

"Um, Rita?"

"Oh, right." Rita looks up at her. "I think I can make this work, okay?"

"O...kay?" Estelle nods hesitantly, and Rita lifts her chin confidently.

"Relax, I totally know what I'm doing. I think." Estelle gulps as she lifts her hands, her lips moving silently as she twines her fingers together in a complex pattern. There's a sudden sensation of something stirring, and Estelle starts.

"Undine?" she blurts, just as Rita grins fiercely.

"Got it! Oh purifying waters, rain down!"

"Ah!" Estelle jumps, startled, as the upsurge of mana resolves into a torrent of water pouring from about shoulder-height into the bathtub.

"Hm, not bad." Rita jerks her hands to the sides, cancelling the spell, and Estelle stares at her wide-eyed across the calming surface of the water.

"Such _control_..."

"Yeah, well." Rita looks a little uncomfortable, turning away to pick up a metal basin and pitcher to scoop up washing water. "I'm still working on the more complex offensive spells, but Undine's been with us the longest, right? I had a feeling she'd be more responsive around you, anyway."

"Oh." Estelle blinks, surprised. She's grown so used to the presence of the spirits that it's difficult to recall what life and magic had been like without them, though it's only been a year since the fall of Tarqaron. "Really?"

"Yep." Rita sets the basin down on the stand and starts unbuttoning her tunic. "Hey, are you going to bathe too? The tub's pretty huge."

Unaccountably, Estelle feels herself flush bright red. "U-um, no, that is... I should... finish my report for Ioder," she manages, backing up a couple of steps before turning to flee from Rita's puzzled face and the squirming of her own stomach. From the safety of the balcony, she hears Rita's voice drift out after her, echoing off the tiles.

"Whatever. Hey, Estelle, is there anything to eat around here? I'm starved."

"Oh! I'll go see!" Absurdly grateful for the excuse, Estelle rushes out to the stairs, almost tripping over the knight stationed on the landing, and down to the kitchen. By the time she returns, bearing a platter of stuffed vine leaves and the chewy local bread, she has recovered enough of her calm that it's fine to sit out on the balcony as the moths flit around the hanging lanterns, her pen moving smoothly across the pages of her journal. She won't compose her letter to Ioder until she's taken counsel with the mayor and the people, but it's as well to record her impressions while she may.

"Hey." Estelle looks up, blinking, as Rita wanders out barefoot, wrapped in a voluminous towel that covers her from shoulder to knees. Wet, her hair looks much darker, deep brown rather than auburn, and slicks down neatly, clinging to her head and bringing her bones into sharp relief. Her eyes are huge and dark in the low light.

"Oh, Rita." Estelle rises from the table, biting her lip as she refocuses on the tight pink stretch of sunburn across Rita's brow and cheekbones, the angry red scratches that criss-cross her forearms and shins. "Here, let me –" Her healing formulae flow much easier these days, now that she can draw directly from mana rather than needing to convert aer; it only takes a moment's concentration before the power flows obediently into her and down her outstretched arm, enveloping Rita in a warm green glow for a moment. Estelle can feel an echo of the minor wounds in her own body before they fade. "There." She lets her hand drop, sighing as the mana flow ebbs.

"Thanks, but you didn't need to," Rita says casually, bending to dig into her pack for fresh clothing. Estelle smiles.

"I know, but I wanted to."

"Well, okay." Rita pulls a robe from her pack, and grabs a roll from the table as she heads back through the breeze-curtain. Her next words come out muffled by rustling cloth and a mouthful of bread. "Hey, you read up on this place before you came out here, didn't you. I know you."

"Well, yes..." Estelle frowns. "I did check the library before we left the capital – in fact, I brought along several books on the flora and fauna of dry climates, though I think some of the information may be more applicable to the Weccean continent." There's still a good deal of information, though; surely Rita would find useful, if she's looking into the subject. "Let me just go and –"

"You don't need to do that." Rita emerges again in a plain, patched robe that, Estelle thinks, must have seen good service; the hemline where it falls just above her knees is more than a little ragged. "It's the middle of the night, and besides, you have a pretty good memory, right?"

"Well, yes," Estelle admits, uncertain. She picks up her leatherbound travel journal, mostly for the comfort of having a book in her hands. "But, I don't know..."

"Is there any information about succulent plants?" Rita asks, surprisingly; her brows are drawn down in thought. "Those weird squashy creeping ones with the diamond leaves. You know the ones I mean, right?"

Estelle blinks, searching back through her memory. She can picture the plant that Rita is speaking of, but it doesn't match her recollection of any of the books she's read. "I... don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"Huh." Rita scowls, sitting down heavily in the other chair and starting to make herself a sandwich of bread and stuffed vine leaves while Estelle watched bemused. "I'm not sure yet."

"Oh – okay." Estelle hugs her book to her chest, watching Rita improvise her idiosyncratic meal. Rita doesn't like to speculate on hypotheses until she's accumulated a balance of evidence behind them, but Estelle knows she'll hear the results eventually.

* * *

"Thank you so much, Your Highness." The mayor, a thoughtful-looking middle-aged man who Estelle thinks must have been chosen for his calm temperament at least as much as for his ability in governance, bows embarrassingly deeply as the last of the morning's petitioners leaves the inn courtyard. The sun is starting to slide past zenith, and even with the linen canopy blocking most of its rays Estelle feels as though she might really shrivel up.

"I'm just glad I can help," she assures him. "If you don't mind, though, I think I'd like to rest for a while before this afternoon's session."

"Of course, of course." He straightens his papers neatly. "As a matter of fact, most everyone around here takes a bit of a nap around midday, when the sun's too high to work."

"Really?" Estelle blinks. "That's fascinating; I wasn't aware that such a custom existed."

"It's just our way, Your Highness. Ah, I'll go ask someone to escort you back to the Residence..." he starts, turning away, though Estelle holds up a hand to forestall him as Yuri emerges from the scant shadows of the courtyard walls, Repede padding at his heels.

"Oh, that's really not necessary. Thank you for your consideration, though!" she assures him hastily; the mayor blinks, bemusedly. "And thank you for your assistance this morning!"

"Come on, Princess." Yuri waves a seemingly-careless hand, collecting her attention. "The sun's not getting any cooler."

"Oh! Yes!" Gathering up her notes, Estelle scurries to follow him as he heads out through the front room of the inn to the street, Repede bringing up the rear. It's easy to see that the mayor is right about people taking refuge from the merciless noon sun; the streets are all but empty, only the foolhardy still abroad. Estelle has to wonder what that makes her.

"Yuri, do you think Flynn is all right?" she asks as they approach the Residence. Even her knight is gone from the door, retreated from the heat. "He did promise to be back from his tour in time to speak to the villagers..."

"Flynn can take care of himself." Yuri raps casually on the strong wooden door, his face blank as one of the Princess Guard cracks it open to peer out.

"That's true, but all that armour, in this heat..." Estelle clutches her books tightly, worrying. The ceremonial armour is solid steel plate; surely it isn't truly possible for a person to melt to death in such a thing, and yet...

"My Lady." The knight – it's Sir Edmund, one of the younger Guards, with his bright red hair a shock above the brigade's silver-stitched white tabard. "Commandant Flynn returned some time ago; I believe he ordered lunch to be prepared for you in your chambers."

"Oh, I see." Thank goodness; melting or not, she doesn't like to think of Flynn or any of the Knights broiling in their armour. "Thank you, Sir Knight."

"See, what'd I tell you?" For all his protestations that he's not cut out to be a Knight, Estelle thinks, Yuri does take his duty very seriously. Although he's well aware that she can protect herself if need be, he sees her to her door anyway, flipping her a mock salute when she smiles at him in thanks. It's nice, to be able to travel with Yuri and the others again, and she wouldn't give up this opportunity for anything, but Estelle is also a little, selfishly, grateful for the luxury of time and space to herself.

Here in the heat of the day, the air hangs still and stifling, even the cool of stone and tile walls beginning to melt with the pressure of the day. Pausing on the balcony to look out at the town baking beneath the inescapable fury of the sun, Estelle feels limp and wrung out, her mind full of the concerns that the mayor and the townspeople had shared with her over the course of the morning. Some, she had been able to resolve with a reassurance or a promise; others must wait for her letters to Ioder, and the mayor's request to increase the volume of trade is one that will require much consultation between Ioder, Flynn and President Kaufman, if not the full Union. Despite the logistical and political difficulties, though, Estelle is aware that it may just be the most vital request of all; without blastia and synthesis to rely on, trade is very much the lifeblood of an isolated town such as this.

Closing her eyes, Estelle takes a deep breath – she cannot solve all the world's problems by herself – and steps through the curtain into the welcome dimness of the suite, heading determinedly for the bath. The water that Rita had conjured for bathing still fills the tub, though when Estelle dips an exploratory hand, it has lost much of the morning's chill. Still, the gently rippling surface looks both refreshing and inviting. Estelle eyes it wistfully for a moment, before she remembers that there are no maids or ladies-in-waiting here to scold her for impropriety. Delighted, she attacks the pump for washing water with a sudden fervour, sluicing the film of sweat and dust from her skin before swathing herself in a soft white towel so she can collect her current book and the platter of bread and sliced fruit from the table. There's a ledge along the side of the grey marble tub that's more than wide enough for both.

She's so absorbed in a chapter on the role of the Entelexeia in the founding of Nordopolica – though their stop at the guild city had been only a diplomatic one, Natz had been kind enough to allow her to borrow several volumes from the Coliseum's extensive library – that she doesn't realise she isn't alone until Rita stomps right into the bathroom, grumbling.

"Man, it's so hot. How does anyone get anything done in this heat?" Grabbing the basin from the shelf, she scoops it full of water and dumps the whole thing over her head, clothes and all.

Estelle squeaks, and narrowly avoids upsetting the book into the bathtub. "Rita!"

"Hey, Estelle." Rita shakes water out of her eyes, not unlike Repede drying himself off, and peers damply over at her. "Eating in the bath? That's decadent," she comments nonchalantly, and Estelle lowers her eyes hastily as she starts peeling off her soaked tunic.

"D-do you think so?" She's been careful not to drop crumbs in the water. "It seemed practical..." Now, it just feels embarrassing; Rita must think her such a spoiled noble.

"Yeah, but that's okay." Rita steps into the tub, sinking down opposite her with a deep, relieved sigh. "How can anyone live here?"

"I think they're just used to it." Politely, Estelle scoots the plate along the ledge towards Rita. "The mayor was telling me that most people take a break over the hottest part of the day, though."

"That would explain why the place is so alive at night," Rita observes. "Thanks." She picks over the sliced fruit, and Estelle does her best to concentrate on her book and not on the fact that if she just stretched out a little, her bare foot would meet Rita's. The gulf of water between them seems both far too narrow for comfort and far too wide to ever be crossed. Estelle bites her lip, hunching her shoulders, suddenly discomfitingly aware of her nudity. Rita, like Judith, seems so carelessly comfortable in her skin.

"Oh, that hit the spot." The water sloshes as Rita ducks beneath the surface, and Estelle looks up from the carefully illustrated pages to see her emerge, water sliding from her hair and skin. "What's that you're reading?"

"Oh..." Aware that she's blushing, Estelle peers down at the pages, fingers careful on the peeling leather binding. "It's a history of Nordopolica, Duce Natz let me borrow it. Would – would you like to look?"

"You don't mind?" Rita doesn't wait for further invitation, though, scooting up beside her to read over her shoulder. "Hey, this is _old_ – and is that a diagram of...? It is!" Her finger, dripping water, hovers a safe distance from the page, pointing out the intricate figure that Estelle can only half decipher. "This has to be the design for the reverse barrier blastia in the coliseum!"

Estelle shifts aside a little as Rita leans in, eyes fixed on the blastia formula. "Look..." She flips back a few pages. "The formula for the main barrier blastia is discussed as well. Apparently Belius herself commissioned the designs."

"That would explain – look," Rita traces a complex shape in the air, following the curves of the blastia design. "This formula, I've never seen aer redirected like this. It's almost recursive..." After a moment, though, she slumps. "Not that it matters now..."

Oh. Estelle bites her lip, watching Rita from the corner of her eyes. She looks so depressed... "Couldn't... the same formulas be applied to mana instead of aer?"

"It's not the same thing." Rita shakes her head, sinking down into the bath. They are close enough that despite the cool of the water Estelle can feel the heat of her body all down her side. "Just because the ambient mana level is high right now, doesn't mean it will always be. Something like a barrier would be a steady drain, even if I could find a way to make it self-perpetuating."

"I see." Estelle thinks about the first few weeks after the fall of Tarqaron, when people had had to start learning how to use spirit formulae for personal Artes, lacking bodhi blastia. It hadn't been easy for anyone; even she, used to the aer bending to her will, had been forced to concentrate on mastering a few healing and defensive Artes. Re-learning the altered formulae is hard work, and everyone has been busy with the more practical aspects of survival.

"Don't you think it's weird, though?" Estelle comes back to herself with a start; Rita is frowning over the yellowing pages, a tiny and uncannily adorable crease between her brows. "For Belius to commission barrier blastia – she must have known the effects of altering the aer balance."

"And cores are made from apatheia," Estelle realises, storing the question away to ask Undine sometime.

"I guess the situation wasn't as serious back then," Rita observes; Estelle shakes her head. If there is one thing she has learned about the Entelexeia, it's that their perception of time is vastly beyond her own, or any human's.

"Maybe she just valued the people of Nordopolica that much," she suggests quietly, and after a moment Rita looks up, meeting her eyes in startlement.

"Estelle? What...?"

"It's nothing." Estelle tears her gaze away, closing the book carefully and setting it on the shelf while she scrambles out of the bath, flustered and uncertain and sure she can feel the weight of Rita's eyes on her skin. "I should dress, I need to meet with the people..."

* * *

As the sun begins to sink toward the mountains in the west, the wind shifts eastward, bringing with it fresh scent of date blossoms and cool water. Estelle glances up at the palm fronds swaying overhead, then smiles at the assembled townspeople.

"I promise that we won't keep you from your work for long. I bear personal greetings from His Imperial Majesty Ioder, as well as his assurance that any concerns you confide in me shall reach his ears." The formal words, near identical to those she has spoken at town meetings up and down three continents, trip easily off her tongue. "Glass from Mantaic is prized across Terca Lumireis for its clarity and fineness; the goods produced by farmers here are distributed across the face of the known world. Our Empire is only as strong as the men and women who build it every day with their labour, and though you may feel distant, here, from the cities of the Empire, your hard work supports us all." She'd spent most of the journey into the desert composing and refining this little speech, worrying over the wording as she'd turned it around in her mind. In these still-uncertain times, with everyone coming to grips with the loss of the blastia that had supported most of human civilisation, a strengthening of bonds is badly needed. This is Ioder's wish, as expressed to her in their hurried conversations between Council meetings and ceremonial duties, and Estelle thoroughly agrees.

"Just as you support the Empire by providing us with your goods and your labour, the Empire will support you with trade agreements to ensure you favourable prices, with Justices to read and carry out the law, and with the protection of the Imperial Knights. Although there have been troubles in the past, this is the pledge that has stood since time immemorial between the Empire and her people. I stand before you today to renew that pledge, so that we all may work together to create a safe and prosperous future for everyone."

There's applause as she steps down from the little dais, and Estelle smiles as best she can, trying to calm her pounding heart. Though she's used by now to public speaking, it's always so nerve-wracking to stand as the focus of everyone's eyes that she inevitably forgets all the cadence and breathing that the elocution tutors had tried to drum into her in her childhood.

"Citizens of Mantaic!" Flynn steps into her pause; Estelle examines him critically, evaluating his performance as he explains that he will be rotating the town's garrison, bringing in a fresh platoon with additional healers and mages who are studied in the latest spirit formulae. He's still a little stiff, she decides, not yet comfortable with his authority outside the brigades. A glance across the courtyard shows Yuri leant against the vine-covered wall at the back, with a smirk on his face. Flynn very clearly isn't looking at him; Estelle suppressed an entirely inappropriate giggle. Flynn is a good Commandant; no one who knows him could have had any doubts that he would be, with his earnest commitment to justice and the rule of law. Before she'd met Yuri, though, Estelle had often wondered what kind of person he must be, that Flynn could warn her to be careful him, with that half-sad and half-worried look that he'd never been able to hide, and yet smile so helplessly the few times Estelle had persuaded him to tell her stories of their past. She'd thought Flynn was wonderful, back then, when the confines of the palace had been her whole world; now she knows that he's every bit as amazing as Yuri is. Estelle folds her hands neatly before her, grateful not for the first time that she has been so lucky in her friendships.

Off to the side of the courtyard, by one of the arched doorways, Judith shifts aside to let someone in; Estelle's attention is caught first by the blue sweep of her antennae and then by the bright fire-red of Rita's tunic as she slips almost unnaturally quietly into the courtyard and around the back of the crowd. Curious, Estelle follows her with her eyes as Flynn finishes his speech with a bow and the mayor steps up to thank them both embarrassingly profusely. Rita has something in her hands that has stained her skin sap-green; Estelle watches from the corner of her eye as she stops before Karol, thrusting the stuff out at him. Karol, Estelle can faintly see, looks first astonished and then thoughtful, after which she has to look away because the mayor is addressing her personally.

"Your Highness, I can't thank you enough for agreeing to carry our trade requests to the Emperor and the Guilds!"

"Please, think nothing of it." Firmly suppressing her curiosity – she cannot behave like a naïve, spoiled princess here – Estelle beams up at him and quotes from Emperor Regin IV's _Letters._ "'Trade is the lifeblood of nations, and a wise ruler nurtures it.' The Empire has entered into an historic pact of friendship with the Union, and we will all do our best to put in place an arrangement by which everyone may prosper."

"Indeed, I see you have Guildsmen accompanying you on your progress." The mayor blinks down at her, his eyes wide with obvious curiosity, clearly restrained by respect from actually asking the question.

"Yes." Such a thing, Estelle knows, would previously have been unheard of. "Brave Vesperia have graciously consented to accompany me as my personal bodyguards, in honour of our friendship."

"Brave Vesperia? Truly?" He sounds both startled and suddenly thoughtful; Estelle feels a warm glow of pride on Karol's behalf. Their guild is becoming so well thought of! She's about to reply – no doubt the guild would welcome any future business that the mayor might have in mind – when a sudden, violent canine sneeze from the back of the courtyard makes the crowd fall briefly silent. Startled, Estelle looks up to see Repede, his normally sleek fur bristling out wildly, backing away growling as Rita advances towards him.

"Hey..." Yuri's voice falls hard in the sudden silence as he starts toward Rita.

"Relax." With a sharp nod, Rita turns away from Repede, heading determinedly towards Estelle as the crowd parts bemusedly before her. People, Estelle realises nervously, are starting to whisper.

"Rita..." she begins, unsure what she even wants to say, but Rita spares her only a brief, disinterested glance as she marches up onto the dais.

"Just a minute, Estelle. You," she thrusts her hands forward at the mayor, who recoils slightly. "Tell me about this stuff."

"What...?" Looking more than a little startled and dubious, the mayor leans gingerly forward to examine the handful of greenery Rita holds out. "That's just a weed. Aren't you one of the group from the Imperial Laboratory?"

"This is Rita Mordio," Estelle introduces as diplomatically as she can manage, still smarting a little from Rita's so-abrupt dismissal. It's a strange sort of hurt that knots in her middle; she presses it aside with the knowledge that this is just how Rita _is_.

"Miss Mordio is one of the foremost minds of the research school," Flynn explains calmly, stepping up behind Estelle's shoulder, a comforting solid presence.

"Yeah, something like that." Rita shrugs off the compliment as though she doesn't even notice it, examining her handful of weeds critically. Estelle recognises the plant as the creeping succulent she'd spoken of yesterday, and Rita's expression as the one she wears when her latest theory has paid off. "This stuff is new, right? It's all over the place, and I don't remember seeing nearly so much of it the last time I was here."

"Oh no, it's always been around," the mayor corrects, still looking dubious but clearly willing to humour Rita's eccentricities with Estelle and Flynn standing right there. "Recently it's got a lot more common, though – we've had to start clearing it out of the fields, to save water for the crops."

"How recently?" Rita almost pounces on the words, and Estelle feels her eyes go wide as she puts Rita's intense interest together with Repede's reaction to the plant.

The mayor frowns. "Why, just about a year or so – it's only a weed..."

"I think this stuff is responsible for the low monster activity around here," Rita says entirely too casually, careless of the sudden rapt attention focused on her as she begins muttering to herself. "A year since the Adephagos – so is it the mana, the aer, or the barrier...?"

"Miss Mordio?" Flynn asks sharply into the stunned silence, distracting Rita from her musings. "Are you saying that this plant repels monsters?"

"It seems like it." Rita shoves the handful of fleshy leaves at Estelle with one hand, reaching for her notebook with the other. "It must have some volatile compound that humans can't detect – the pooch sure didn't like it much. If I can isolate the active components..."

"Really?" People are murmuring again, but now there's a distinct tone of excitement and hope. Carefully, Estelle sniffs at the handful of greenery – there's a definite scent, but it's actually quite pleasant and green, not at all like the musky smell of the scent-barriers Karol sets up around their campsites. "Rita..." _You're amazing_, she doesn't say, suddenly uncomfortably aware of all the eyes on them. "This could be a great breakthrough in public safety!"

"Indeed, indeed." The mayor still looks a little stunned, but Estelle can see the hopeful light in his eyes. "We'll start cultivating it immediately – Your Highness, please be so kind as to bring this to the attention of His Majesty the Emperor."

"Of course." Estelle beams, pride and happiness every bit as warm as the evening sun on her back. "Rest assured, this discovery will also be brought to the table in our trade negotiations on your behalf." If Rita's theory is borne out, the whole world is going to flock to Mantaic.

* * *

"Estelle?" Yuri knocks casually on the fretwork partition that sections off the end of the balcony belonging to the royal suite, poking his head around the door she has left ajar. "Are you done with that report? Judy and Ba'ul are ready to go."

"Oh, Yuri." Estelle looks up from her work, her pen hovering over the final salutation to her cousin. "I'm almost done... here." Completing the final sentence, she dips her pen to sign the document with a flourish, then blows on the ink to dry it before marshalling the several sheets of paper into a neat stack and rolling them to slip into the message tube. "I'm ready."

"Okay, let's go." Yuri leads the way out and through the town toward the oasis where Ba'ul has set the Fiertia down and is hovering patiently in the night sky, a greyish mass against the stars. One or two curious townsfolk have come out to stare, but it's late enough that the moon is a thin rind hovering on the eastern horizon, and the town is hushed with night. Repede pads silently at their heels, calm and watchful, but he hangs back by the trees as they approach the little knot of people waiting at the waterside. Estelle understands why as she nears them; the hooded mages and their baggage are accompanied by a cluster of mismatched terracotta flowerpots – dozens of them, bearing chunks of sandy soil and creeping plants. Karol, the smaller guild flag tied around his forehead like a particularly oversized bandanna, is supervising the loading of the cargo into the Fiertia's hold while Rita argues with the other mages in painfully hushed tones. Estelle glances about, curious.

"I don't see Judith..."

"Yeah, me either." Yuri glances about, then shrugs and whistles sharply. This, Estelle realises as Karol breaks off from what he's doing, trotting over to them, appears to be a signal of some kind.

"Hi, guys! You've got the letter ready, right Estelle? I think Judith went up to check Ba'ul's ropes or something."

"I'm amazed he managed to bring the Fiertia here by himself," Estelle says – surely those ropes are difficult enough for people with hands! - only to hear a light laugh from above. A moment later, Judith drops neatly down to the sand beside them.

"Ba'ul can be pretty resourceful."

"Ba'ul is _cool_," Karol pronounces, and even in the dark Estelle can see Judith's eyes crinkle as she smiles. Overhead, Ba'ul makes a low roaring sound, like the wind through the cracks at the top of Mount Temza.

"He's glad you think so," Judith says lightly; Karol beams.

"Thank you very much for agreeing to make this trip." Estelle steps forward, holding out the message tube. "I'm very grateful to you both. Please give this message only into the hands of Ioder himself."

"Sodia will get you in to see His Majesty." Flynn walks up out of the darkness, his hair a pale beacon in the night. Yuri shifts almost unnoticeably, putting them shoulder to shoulder, and Estelle smiles.

"Understood." Judith touches her temple, the way she often does when she speaks with Ba'ul, then nods. "We accept this task in the name of Brave Vesperia."

"Right." Yuri looks around at the mages, who are still arguing sotto voce, and raises his voice. "Hey, Rita, you ready to go?"

"I'm not going." Delivering one last instruction over her shoulder, Rita abandons her fellow mages to join them. "Any chemist can investigate the source of the barrier effect, and it'll take a while to cultivate enough of the stuff for the other experiments I have in mind. Besides, there's something else I want to investigate, so I'm coming with you." She says it like a challenge, arms crossed defensively and eyes fixed on Estelle.

"Really?" Estelle claps her hands in delight, suddenly giddy. This really will be just like their journey; she's missed travelling with Rita. "Yay! This is going to be so much fun!"

"D-don't get excited," Rita protests, looking away in obvious embarrassment. "I'm not doing it for you or anything, I just want to look into some stuff."

"Okay." Estelle can't help smiling, though, filled with a warm and anticipatory sense of happiness.

"You better do your share of the cooking!" Karol threatens Rita, then jumps back with a yelp as she raises a fist. It dispels the strange heaviness of the air, and Estelle giggles behind her hand, too aware of the knowing look in Yuri's eyes, the hint of puzzlement in Flynn's. Judith just looks amused.

"Well, I guess we'll be going now, then." She raises a hand in farewell, and Estelle realises that most of the mages have made their way out to the ship.

"Thank you, Judith, Ba'ul," she calls as Judith walks out along the improvised palm-branch jetty, cat-footed even atop the swell of the water.

"Yeah, see you around," Yuri echoes, and Estelle grabs Rita's arm as Ba'ul calls out his own farewell, tugging her back out of the downdraught as the Fiertia creaks, groans and begins to rise.

"Look out –" The palms overhead thrash in the sudden wind, and the backwash of water rushing to fill the Fiertia's vacated berth creates erratic waves that travel up the beach almost to their feet.

"Ack!" Karol, not quick enough to escape the reach of the waters, lifts the soaked hems of his trousers with both hands, dripping water everywhere. "Damn it, those were my good boots!"

"They'll dry out quick enough tomorrow," Yuri points out disinterestedly, his face tipped skyward as he watches Ba'ul disappear into the east, a faint shadow against the stars.

"Yeah, but the leather'll go all cracked –"

"Um, Estelle?" Rita catches her attention, voice studiedly careless. "You can let go now, you know."

"Oh!" Estelle snatches her hand back, suddenly unaccountably mortified as everyone turns to look at the two of them. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to – I mean, I didn't mean to, to presume, or...."

"No, I didn't mean – that is, you don't have to..." Rita chokes herself off, and Estelle stumbles to a flushing and flustered halt as Yuri clears his throat pointedly. Though he's obviously holding back amusement, and Karol is staring between them in puzzlement, it's Flynn who takes the diplomatic route.

"Ah, Lady Estellise, perhaps we should all get some sleep? We have a difficult journey tomorrow."

The Sands of Kogorh, Estelle realises, and the thought is sobering enough that she's able to compose herself. "Yes, that's true."

"Let's head back," Yuri says, and Estelle follows gratefully, letting her feet carry her back to the Residence on autopilot. It takes her every step of the way before she can quite manage to look at Rita without blushing.

* * *

"Okay, whose idea was this?" Rita pants, stopping where she is to mop at her face with her sleeve, groping over her shoulder with her other hand for the straw of her canteen. "How can anything _survive_ here?"

Concentrating on slogging her way through the shifting sands, Estelle can only shake her head. Somehow the journey through the Sands seems to have got easier in her memories, or else she'd been so consumed with the need to find Phaeroh that she'd been able to ignore the merciless, baking heat sapping her strength.

"I'm going to be broiled alive," Karol moans from behind them; Repede whines agreement.

"Just a little further," Yuri promises, rather rashly in Estelle's opinion. She can't navigate here; there's nothing to guide or orient her, only endless burning-hot dunes that make slow and unsteady footing, and the pitiless sun. "The oasis is just up ahead..."

"I'll hold you to that," Flynn says weakly, tramping up to join them at the head of the column. "The Knights aren't enjoying this, but I'm more concerned about the wagon beasts. Lady Estellise, do you need to rest?"

"I – I can go on," Estelle says as firmly as she manage. Her voice comes out scratchy and dry; she unclips her canteen from her belt and fumbles the cap open to drink. At least with the wagon carrying several barrels' worth, they don't need to rely solely on cacti to refill their water supplies.

"At least we don't have to fight," Karol pants, stopping for a moment to breathe had, hands braced on his knees, before continuing the laborious task of putting one foot in front of the other.

"Yeah, it seems like that stuff of Rita's really works," Yuri comments in a voice for once more laboured than cynical.

"Of course it does," Rita mutters, and Estelle lifts her face with an effort to stare into the distance. The horizon swims queasily with heat haze, but other movements can be made out in the middle distance, Firebirds swooping through the sky like living flames and Green Spiders crawling across the dunes. They seem to be circling the column, but so far at least they've kept their distance. Estelle has to wonder if she would have been able to make the connection that Rita had.

Beside her, a loud sucking, gurgling sound turns out to be Karol draining the last drops from his canteen. Unscrewing the lid, he peers into the container, then holds it upside-down over his mouth as though more liquid might miraculously appear. "Ugh, I ran out..."

"Oh, Karol, use mi –" Estelle begins, but before she can fumble the vessel off her belt Yuri pre-empts her, passing Karol his own canteen.

"Here."

"Thanks, Yuri." Karol takes a long drink before passing the bottle back. "Hey, guys, I think I smell something. Does anyone else smell water?"

"Water?" Estelle takes a long breath, hopeful, but can't distinguish anything but sand and dust and heat.

"You're imagining it," Rita says dismissively, but Karol shakes his head, stubborn.

"No, I can smell it! Look!" He struggles ahead, cresting a small rise with a whoop. "It's the oasis! All right!"

"Are you sure it's not just a mirage?" Rita demands, but she too seems suddenly energised, floundering after Karol up the slope. The relief is infectious; Estelle hurries to follow, forcing her exhausted limbs to carry her. Atop the dunes, the oasis is clearly visible, a cluster of upthrust rocks and obstinate palms nestled in the hollow below. Off to the north-west, too, is Phaeroh's crag, stark against the sky; Estelle feels the faint surge of Efreet's interest before the cool blue waves of Undine's power considerately balance out the heat.

"Finally!" Karol and Rita take off down the slope at a near-run. Estelle follows at a more sedate speed, though the glint of sunlit water between the broad palm leaves is enough to make her feel refreshed already. The chance to rest will be very welcome, and she can tell by the sudden outbreak of muted jubilation, as the Knights behind her start to crest the ridge, that the feeling is universal.

"We should make camp here, and press on tomorrow," Flynn says, his voice dusty but also palpably relieved. "Lady Estellise?"

"Oh – yes, you're right," Estelle agrees absently, her attention caught by a dark flicker of movement among the trees below. The presence of the spirits suddenly surges in her mind, an urgent whisper – of warning, she realises as Repede growls, his hackles rising, then takes off down the slope in a dash.

"Rita! Karol!" Drawing the sword she'd insisted on carrying, Estelle fumbles her shield off her back and breaks into a stumbling, headlong run, just as Karol slides to a windmilling halt yards from the treeline.

"Aaaah! Monsteeer!"

"Shit!" Yuri curses behind her, and Estelle hears the twin rasp as he and Flynn draw their swords.

"Lady Estellise, wait!"

"I have to protect them!" Estelle cries, her feet sliding through the sand. The shadow stirring in the shade of the trees is much larger than any desert predator, chitin shining dully as the monster flexes intricately jointed limbs.

"Giganto monster!" Rita yells, yanking Karol back by the collar and fumbling her sash free with her spare hand as Repede bounds to a halt ahead of her, crouched low and growling. Estelle gasps at the size of the creature as it stalks out of the shadows, enormous and mantis-like with viciously serrated forelegs and delicate dragonfly wings.

"But we killed them all!" Karol wails, dragging his hammer out of his bag.

"Look sharp!" Yuri races past her, closely followed by Flynn, who is shouting orders to the Knights. "Rita, Estelle, stay the hell back and cast! Karol, get a magic lens on that thing! Repede, defend!"

"R-right!" Karol digs frantically through his bag as Rita darts back to join Estelle. The Knights, under Flynn's orders, form a perimeter with swords drawn and shields raised, while Flynn himself joins Yuri in hacking at the monster's forelimbs. Concentrating to draw the power of the spirits into herself, Estelle readies a spell, waiting for Karol's verdict while flickers of yellow light from Rita's casting fill the right side of her vision.

"I-it's strong!" Karol is hunkered down well out of the way, squinting through a lens. "Really strong! I don't think it has any weaknesses, guys..."

"Yeah, I'm getting that!" Yuri staggers back under the impact of a vicious slice that Flynn only barely blocks with his shield. "Shit!"

Estelle gasps, hastily releasing the threads of the half-woven light spell in order to cast First Aid, the rush of healing energy intensely familiar. "Be careful!"

"Watch yourself!" Flynn warns as Yuri darts back in, hacking at the weaving forelimbs. The thick, jagged chitin scrapes unpleasantly beneath his blade, but the monster barely seems to feel it.

"Damn it, I can't get a decent hit in!" Yuri falls back beside Flynn, blocking a slash with his sword. "Any ideas?"

"Stone blast!" There's a rush of power as Rita releases her spell, and some of the Knights cheer as the giant insect is thrust into the air by the erupting ground.

"Magic! Magic is its weakness!" Karol yells, and Estelle can feel Sylph and Efreet responding as he begins to charge up a thunder arte.

"Yeah, but it's still not enough!" Rita dashes forward, planting her feet in clear space. "Estelle, come on! Try for Holy Lance!"

"But...!" It's a stronger spell than she's tried since the final battle against Duke; she clutches at her sword, uncertain.

"The spirits will respond to you! Do it!" Rita yells, snapping her sash out and beginning to move in the intricate, dancing patterns of a high-level spell.

"Okay!" Estelle firms her grip on sword and shield, reaching out to the spirits with a wordless plea. It's slow, but after a moment she can feel the host of them behind her, the faceless presences who might once have held sway over the Light. They gather around her as she chants the long-unspoken words of the spell, carefully picturing what she wants to do. "Oh divine spear, run my enemy through!" It takes a long, uncertain moment, but eventually the formula coalesces around her.

"Now!" Darkness gathers around Rita as she stretches out her hand, releasing her own spell. "Treat our dear guests to your terrible song! Bloody Howling!"

For a long moment, everything is very confused as darkness wars with light. The monster screams in fury as the spells hit, and lunges forward, flinging Yuri and Flynn aside as it swipes its wickedly spiked forelegs at Rita.

"Ugh!" Rita collapses to one knee, blood seeping into the sand, and Repede leaps forward with a growl, going for the creature's pale underbelly.

"Rita!" Estelle forces herself to stay back, though every instinct is urging her to rush to her friend's defence. "Spirits, aid me! Oh angelic princess, grant us your magnificent embrace!"

The spell leaves her gasping as healing light pours forth, but after a moment Rita shoves herself to her feet, snapping her sash out like a whip as she begins to chant.

"Oh mad and greedy waters, rise up and storm the very heavens!" Estelle gathers herself carefully as the waters swirl about her and the enemy howls, turning to check on Flynn and Yuri – those had been some hard blows. The moment of inattention is her downfall; as if sensing her distraction, the monster leaps forward as the waters ebb, its wickedly sharp talons slashing at her. Estelle brings up her shield in a desperate attempt to block, and the force of the blow leaves her reeling, undefended, as pain blooms down her sword-arm.

"Estelle!"

"Lady Estellise!"

As if from a great distance, Estelle hears a chorus of voices crying her name, but it's the sudden explosion of power that pulls her out of the dizziness as Rita cries out in fury.

"Oh, I've had just about enough of you!" The monster is thrown back by the surge, and Estelle blinks rapidly to clear her eyes before realising that the flickering glow that edges Rita's limbs isn't her imagination.

"Here." Flynn is suddenly at her side, casting First Aid, as Yuri takes up a defensive position in front of her. Rita – Rita is _dancing_, whirling in place, and Estelle can almost see the spirits gathering around her, their presence and power thick in the air.

"Oh spirits of the seven ancient powers, oh rulers of the elements, heed my call! Come forth, oh lords of chaotic force, and heap your indignation on those who stand before you! _Divine Judgement!_"

The sudden, tearing wind that springs from nowhere staggers Estelle, and she has to catch at Flynn's arm to keep her balance. The song of the spirits is so loud in her mind that she can barely think as the Giganto mantis is caught up in the eye of the storm, buffeted by fire and ice as first Efreet and then Undine's voices rise above the throng. Sylph is a high keening counterpoint above the chorus, and Gnome a rumble below as the sandy ground cracks open beneath the monster. Estelle, stunned by this display of raw force, can barely breathe as the roiling tempest resolves into ring after concentric ring of intricate formulae extending upwards in a towering stack. The spirit voices join in an almost unbearable harmony, and everything goes white as a spear of pure magical force stabs down from the heavens, impaling the thrashing monster and forcing it into Gnome's gaping maw. With one last rumble, the earth reseals itself around its hapless victim, the formula circles winking out one by one.

"...whoa." Yuri breaks the awed silence at last, relaxing his stance and moving warily forward to examine the blackened and vitrified sand.

"That..." Karol staggers to hist feet, leaning heavily on his hammer. "That was..."

"Rita, that was amazing!" Estelle finds her feet at last, hurrying over to where Rita is slumped in the sand, breathing hard. "That was a whole new mystic arte! I've never heard of anyone being able to perform one without a blastia!"

"I... had a theory it was possible," Rita manages as Estelle kneels beside her, checking her over quickly. She doesn't seem to be injured, at least, just extremely drained. "Using a direct mana formula, with the full power of the spirits. I... guess it worked, after all."

"Heh." Yuri comes to stand over them; a little way away Estelle can hear Flynn ordering the Knights to establish a guard patrol and set up camp. "What, our genius mage is doubting herself all of a sudden?"

"Hmph." Rita leans heavily on Estelle's offered arm, levering herself to her feet. "It was a calculated risk, that's all."

"Careful..." Estelle props her up as she staggers, pleased when Rita doesn't shrug off the steadying arm around her waist but instead leans into the support. "Rita, does this mean the rest of us will also be able to use new mystic artes?"

"Theoretically." Rita frowns as they head haltingly towards the oasis, where the Knights are starting to set up tents. "I'm pretty sure you could manage it, since you already have a good relationship with the spirits. The old mystic artes – they came from the relationship between the user and their bodhi blastia, and the blastia focused the energy. Using yourself as the focus for the spirits and mana formula is a lot harder."

"Yeah, I'll leave that to you guys," Yuri says dryly as they thread their way through the emerging camp to the water's edge. "Come on, Karol, let's go get dinner started."

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Visibly brightening at the thought of food, Karol trots off after Yuri and Repede willingly enough.

The sudden circle of quiet surrounding them is a blessed relief; Estelle sighs as Rita pulls away from her support, wading out into the shallow pool. Several Knights are filling the canteens and barrels where the spring tumbles down from the rocks, and Estelle pulls off her shoes and stockings, wriggling her feet blissfully in the cool water as wet sand oozes between her toes.

"Man, that's better." Rita flops down to sit in the foot-deep water with a splash, heedless of her clothes. Leaning back on her hands with a sigh, she stares up at the sky, still the pale glaring blue of mid-afternoon.

"Mm." Preoccupied, Estelle wades carefully deeper, towards the spring, letting the refreshing coolness soak up her tired legs. The Knights courteously allow her space to refill her canteen, and she takes a long drink, relishing the cool fresh taste of the water in her parched throat. Pushing her way back to the shallows, she offers the water silently, and Rita drinks greedily.

"Thanks."

"Please, don't mention it." There's a rock protruding into the water a little way away; Estelle takes a careful seat, swinging her legs a little so that the motion of the water washes the clinging sand from her feet. After a moment, Rita scoots a little closer, so that she can rest her back against the other side of the rock, sitting waist-deep in the shallows.

"This is so much better than trekking through that damn sand," Rita sighs, and Estelle nods in agreement. She wants to say something about how the desert has its own harsh beauty, but somehow what comes out instead is "Rita, you're really amazing."

Immediately, she can feel herself blush as Rita splutters.

"That's – I'm not – d-don't be..."

"No, really," Estelle protests instinctively, forgetting embarrassment in her sudden need to make Rita understand this. "To perform an arte like that – a totally new kind of spell! And in the middle of battle, when the rest of us are still trying to master simple spirit formulae..."

"Don't be ridiculous," Rita protests, ducking her head. "You – you're the Child of the Full Moon, Estelle, and... you care so much for everyone. You're the amazing one," she finishes almost in a whisper, and Estelle has to swallow the sudden lump in her throat.

"But Rita, I could never have worked out that it was the plants that were keeping the monsters away. I'm not a genius like you."

To her surprise, Rita shifts uncomfortably, water rippling, then sighs. "Even if that's true... they only call me a genius because they're afraid of me, you know."

"I know." Estelle bows her head, thinking of the wary looks she'd seen directed at Rita, back at Aspio. "I'm not afraid of you, Rita. I..." She stumbles over her tongue, blushing furiously, and when she dares to peek, the back of Rita's neck is as bright red as she feels.

"I – I'm going to go get some food," Rita mutters eventually, shoving herself to her feet, and Estelle bows her head in silence as she all but flees.

* * *

"The sea breeze is so refreshing!" Estelle takes a long, slow breath, savouring the cool salt-scented air as it stirs the dust from her throat. Though finally free of the Sands of Kogorh, they'd chosen to take the longer route around the bay, avoiding the ruins of Yormgen by silent, mutual agreement. Even the distant skeletons of the weathered timbers look so sad, a sobering reminder, Estelle thinks, that time waits for them all. She can't help but remember the villagers of Phaeroh's illusion, and Yuefan, whose eyes had been fixed on the sea as she waited for a man who would never return.

"Look, the ships are waiting!" Karol's irrepressible enthusiasm draws Estelle out of her sorrowful musings; she stretches up onto her tiptoes, shading her eyes against the glare off the water.

"I see the Fiertia!" she exclaims, sure despite the distance that she can see the tiny figure of Judith waving from the prow.

"Knights!" Flynn raises his voice, turning to address the men. It's admirable, Estelle thinks, the way they come to such an immediate and crisp attention even after the exertions of the desert crossing and the trek down to the shore. "We'll rendezvous with the crews and make camp while we wait for the morning tide. Don't let your guard down; this is bandit country!"

It certainly is; as they start down the long, dusty path that leads to the sea, Estelle can see clear signs that others have passed this way – broken rocks, trodden-down scrub, the blackened circle of a recent campfire. The back of her neck prickles as though they are being watched, and when she glances out over the rolling scrubland, there's definitely movement in the distance.

"Don't worry so much." Yuri drops back beside her, tilting his head to indicate the column of Knights behind them. "In this company, anyone's going to think twice about attacking us."

"You're right," Estelle acknowledges soberly, frowning. "But Yuri, since the defeat of the Adephagos many towns of the Empire have been experiencing much greater problems with bandits and highwaymen than previously recorded. Without blastia to defend themselves from monsters or foes, many criminals have become more desperate."

"I guess sitting out in the middle of nowhere and robbing people for a living doesn't give you much chance to study spirit formulae," Rita observes neutrally; Estelle is a little surprised that she actually seems to be listening, because she's been walking along with her attention firmly on her notebook, occasionally muttering to herself. Estelle would have liked to speak to her about the new mystic arte, but she knows better than to disturb Rita when she's absorbed in theory, and something of the awkwardness of the other day still lingers.

"Give it a year or two, and that's bound to change," Yuri says dryly, and Estelle nods.

"Yes, for good or ill, knowledge spreads. We won't have this advantage forever."

"Yeah, so we've gotta take advantage of it while we can!" Karol punches the air, trotting ahead. "Come on guys, we're almost there!"

"What's got into him?" Rita grumbles, but she stows her notebook in its pocket all the same, picking up the pace. Estelle is left momentarily with Yuri, who's looking out at the rocky scrubland as though someone might attack at any second. Knowing Yuri, Estelle thinks with a suppressed giggle, he might even wish someone would She sobers almost immediately, though; there's no honour in killing desperate, needy people who are just trying to survive.

"Don't you think it's sad?" she asks spontaneously, stopping in her tracks and turning to follow his gaze. "That people can be so desperate as to abandon their humanity and prey on one another like monsters."

"Some people are beyond saving," is all Yuri says, turning to walk on. Estelle winces; she really hadn't intended to remind him of his own shady past.

"This region suffered a lot in the Great War," Flynn says unexpectedly, coming up to meet them with Repede padding at his side. "Many of the inhabitants broke with the Empire as a result."

"Yes, I read that there were once a number of villages along the coast, with mining settlements in the foothills of the Father Muzaeli Mountains." Estelle frowns, recalling the scant words that even the texts of the Imperial Collection had had for the war itself. "Aside from Mount Temza, though, I thought that most of the inhabitants were resettled in Ilyccia and Yurzorea..."

"Sounds like something the Empire would've wanted you to think," Yuri tosses back over his shoulder, striding ahead as the path rounds an enormous boulder, the ocean opening up wide and blue before them as the cliffs rise dark and precipitous to the north. Caught between the rocky bluffs and the endless acres of scrubby beach to the south and east is a narrow expanse of level plateau, perhaps half a mile wide, that forms a natural harbour between the rolling western hills and the deep waters of the bay. Several ships – Estelle counts three Imperial warships dwarfing the Fiertia in a confusion of masts – have moored here, and their crews cheer as the Knights come into view around the headland.

"I have heard that the devastation was quite severe," Flynn says with a frown, turning back briefly to give orders to the Knights. "Seargent Briggs, see that the beasts are fed and watered, and make camp. Lieutenant Majors, establish a perimeter and set guards! Unfortunately," he continues in a much quieter voice, turning back to Estelle, "so much of the official record was suppressed that the true facts may be lost forever."

"Yes," Estelle agrees soberly and a little sadly, thinking of Raven and Yeager's friend Casey, and of Duke's friend Elucifur. "Even those who were there can't speak of it – it must have been terrible."

"So, make sure it never happens again," Yuri says quietly, almost like a challenge. Flynn clearly takes it as one; Estelle sees his shoulders stiffen as he replies, just as quietly.

"I intend to."

"It's a start, but resolve means nothing until you see it through." Estelle shivers a little at the tone in Yuri's voice, as cold as the mountain wind.

"What happened to believing in me?" Flynn asks quietly; Estelle steps back a little, suddenly feeling like she's intruding. Maybe now is a good time to go and greet Judith...

* * *

"There you are," Judith says easily, stepping around the baggage as Estelle approaches. "Here, this is for you. 'From the pen of His Majesty, to Her Highness Princess Estellise,' or something like that."

"From Ioder?" Estelle hurries to take the ornately wrought box that Judith holds out to her, surprised by its lightness. "Thank you, Judith. Was the trip all right? How is Ba'ul?"

"Oh, he's just fine." Judith tips her face up to the sky, then smiles. "Seems like he's heading off to the mountains right now."

"Really?" Estelle takes a seat on a nearby rock, clutching Ioder's box to her chest. "I suppose it is your home, but isn't it painful to see Mount Temza that way?"

"Mm, it was a long time ago," is all Judith says, seating herself neatly beside Estelle and looking up at the sky.

"Aspio's still my home," Rita comments neutrally, looking up from her notebooks. "The rebuilding's going pretty well."

"I'm glad." Estelle frowns down at her hands, thinking. "Judith, do you think anyone will ever rebuild Mount Temza? It was an important city to the Kritya, wasn't it?"

"Probably not." Judith is still examining the sky, as though the deep blue holds some answer she is waiting for. "A place like that – it's a little lonely."

"Oh." Estelle turns Ioder's box over in her hands, tracing the seams with her fingers. There's no obvious catch, but the Imperial seal is carved into one side, and the centre depresses beneath her fingers with a soft click.

"Karol tells me I missed all the fun," Judith comments as Estelle lifts the lid of the box, revealing a folded and sealed letter and blue velvet pouch.

"Hmm?" Estelle picks up the letter, working a careful finger beneath the flap so as to loosen the seal without breaking it. "Well, there was certainly some excitement, but... I wouldn't have called it _fun_." Really, she'll be happy never to face another Giganto monster, or anything so dangerous, ever again.

Judith sighs as though she's really sad. "It's been so long since I've had a _real_ challenge," she complains, and Rita snorts without looking up from her work.

"You fighting freaks, I swear..."

"Really?" Judith says mildly. "But I heard you took it down single-handedly, Rita. So does that make you a fighting freak too?"

Rita splutters, and Estelle giggles. "Rita's mystic arte really was amazing," she says over Rita's protests, opening Ioder's letter and skimming through the salutations.

"Mm, so I've heard," Judith says; it takes Estelle a moment to register the words as she focuses her attention on Ioder's neat script. Things seem to be going well in Zaphias, at least; Ioder writes that parts of the Imperial Library have been opened to the public three days a week, and there is talk of forming a City Council to take charge of planning and public works, with the lower quarter's improvement a priority.

"I-it wasn't that great or anything," Rita protests from very far away; Estelle murmurs a vague disagreement, absorbed in Ioder's account of his latest discussions with the Union, and how 'a gentleman, bearing no small resemblance to one Captain Schwann, but insisting he be addressed as "Raven the Great"' had sent his greetings to Estelle. That makes her smile, as does Ioder's expressed hope that she will find the towns of the northern Empire peaceful and prosperous.

The final paragraph of the letter concerns the pouch, and the disposition of the items Ioder has sent; Estelle unties the strings, upending two small shining objects into her palm with a gasp of delight.

"Oh? What are those?" Judith leans over to examine them, and Rita looks up, blinking owlishly, as Estelle holds up a heavy silver and steel signet, intricately engraved and set with a small sapphire in the shoulder.

"This is the Commandant's seal. The original perished with Alexei, so Ioder commissioned a new one."

"For Flynn, huh?" Rita climbs onto her knees, peering around. "Where is he, anyway? Yuri and the pooch too."

"Yes, I haven't seen them," Judith agrees, though there's little concern in her voice. Glancing over, Estelle is sure she catches a twinkle in her eye.

"Oh, I think they had... something to take care of," she manages, hoping she isn't blushing; she doesn't think it's anything like _that_, but their conversation had seemed... personal. "Anyway, look at this!" She holds up the other object, which shines silver in the late afternoon light. Half the size of her palm, the silver and mother-of-pearl brooch fans out into a multi-pointed star of familiar design. "Ioder had this restored as a gift for the guild; it's been in the Imperial collection for years. I have to go show Karol!" Setting the box and signet carefully aside for the moment, Estelle jumps up, skirting around the baggage and the Knights who are putting up tents to where Karol is squatting beside the cookfire, eyeing their bags of ingredients thoughtfully.

"Are you deciding what to make for dinner?" Estelle asks curiously; he seems so absorbed in his thoughts!

"Oh, hey Estelle!" Karol flops back to sit cross-legged as she kneels beside him. "Yeah, I kinda wanted to make sorbet, since it's been so hot and all, but I guess we don't really have enough milk..."

"This certainly isn't cattle country," Estelle agrees, frowning in thought. "It isn't as bad as the Sands of Kogorh, but it's still a little warm for hot or spicy foods."

"Yeah, and I don't want to slave over boiling pots," Karol complains. "Even riceballs are too much effort!"

Estelle thinks about this, mentally flipping her way through the recipe book. "Well, how about a salad? It's quite refreshing, and it looks like we have enough vegetables..."

"Yeah... yeah!" Karol beams at her, reaching for the ingredients with new energy. "Awesome idea, Estelle! Just watch, I'll have this ready in no time!"

"Oh, Karol, wait!" Estelle exclaims, pulling the brooch out of her pouch. "Look, Ioder sent this, for Brave Vesperia!"

"Huh? He did?" Karol swivels to stare in perplexity at the shining badge. "Hey, it's like the guild emblem, cool!"

Estelle thrusts it into his hand. "You should wear it, Karol, since you're the leader of the guild."

"I don't know..." Karol stares down at it doubtfully. "Don't you think it's kind of flashy?"

"It's the gift of the Emperor," Estelle says firmly; she can see Karol start a little at her determined voice. "Brave Vesperia may be a small guild, but it has done great deeds, which should be honoured."

"Yeah..." Karol visibly brightens with pride, puffing his chest out. "You're right! I'll wear this for Brave Vesperia!"

"I'm so glad." Estelle claps her hands, delighted, as Karol painstakingly pins the badge to his chest. "Karol, it looks good on you!"

"I-it does?" Karol looks down at himself, then straightens his shoulders manfully. "Yeah, I guess I am the guild leader, after all... I wonder what Nan would think...?"

"I'm sure she'll be very impressed," Estelle reassures him; the young ladies of the _Imperial Valour_ stories had always found the medals and honours of their Knights most delightful to swoon over. Estelle isn't really sure why one would want to swoon into a gentleman's arms – surely it would worry him? Not to mention inconveniencing him terribly! - but girls in books do seem to enjoy it.

"Right, let's make dinner!" Karol declares with renewed enthusiasm, reaching for the knives and cutting board. Estelle nods, clapping her hands.

"Yes, I'll help!"

After a while, two of Flynn's corporals join them at the makeshift cooking pit as well, starting to prepare some kind of soup dish. The scent of the ripe and juicy tomatoes is delicious, but the onions they are chopping start her eyes watering; Estelle blinks fiercely to avoid seeming rude by moving away.

"Hey, Estelle." Karol finishes chopping radishes and tips them into the bowl as Estelle threads a piece of bread onto a makeshift toasting fork – really just a long stick – to make croutons. "Brave Vesperia – I mean, the star, not the guild – that was a blastia, right?"

"Yes," Estelle agrees, sitting back on her heels and looking out to the east, where a lone speck is starting to glimmer as the sky darkens toward evening. "Along with Zaude, it protected us for so long – and we didn't even know it."

"Right," Karol agrees, shading his eyes as he follows her gaze. "So I guess that means it's a spirit now, huh? ....Huh? Hey! Estelle, the stick's on fire!"

"Ah!" Startled out of her shocked daze, Estelle hastily drops the stick, along with the now rather charred toast. "Oh no... I'm sorry, Karol, I should have paid more attention. I'll get another..."

It stays with her, though, as she hurries to find another stick and concentrates carefully on toasting the new piece of bread to just the right shade of golden brown. Brave Vesperia, the brightest star in the sky, the fairytale hero who had ascended to the heavens to protect the world. The blastia that had held back the Adephagos.

"No, that's not right," Estelle realises, sitting back and waiting for the toast to cool so that she can cut it up. "Zaude wasn't powered by aer, and Brave Vesperia certainly couldn't have been – several studies have shown that the higher you go, the less dense the aer becomes."

"Yeah, but Zaude had a core, right?" Karol points out, attacking a head of lettuce with vigour.

"That's true... but it was powered by the lives of the Children of the Full Moon..." Estelle frowns, half-heartedly shredding the toast between her fingers. "Maybe that enormous core was to store all the life energy?" That doesn't sound right either, though; setting the bread aside and brushing crumbs from her skirt, Estelle gets to her feet. "I'll just go and ask Rita..."

"Tell 'em dinner's nearly ready!" Karol calls after her. Estelle nods in acknowledgement, threading her way between the sudden profusion of guy-ropes anchoring the Knights' sturdy round tends. Camping with the full contingent of Knights is a very different experience from their original journey. Though Estelle knows that the others still trade off watches, Karol's face when she'd unthinkingly volunteered to take her own turn had been a picture. It feels a little uncomfortable to be protected, still, but compared to a life caged in the palace, she supposes that this is an acceptable compromise.

She hears them before she sees them, and something in the tone of Rita's voice – quiet, tentative, entirely unlike her usual confident demeanour – makes Estelle pause, one hand on the guy-cord of the last tent.

"...don't understand how she can be so _selfless_," Rita is saying, her shoulders hunched and her head ducked so that she looks much smaller than she truly is. She's turned away, the line of her back a tense curve, and Judith is looking out to sea, her face thoughtful. The prickle of guilt – she shouldn't eavesdrop, she knows; it's dishonest and dishonourable – is balanced by the sudden stir of uncomfortable desire to hear what Rita has to say. Torn, Estelle wavers, as Rita continues obliviously.

"She's so kind – she'll heal anyone who's so much as stubbed a toe, even when she's tired and injured herself, and she doesn't even think that's anything special. It's so frustrating."

"It's just the way she is," Judith murmurs, as Estelle squirms a little in embarrassment. What's so wrong with wanting to help people?

"She's so selfless it _hurts_," Rita mutters; beneath the familiar grumpy voice she sounds a little lost, almost helpless. "She was ready to die, back then, if she could have saved the world that way. She never even thought about how I – I mean, how we would have felt."

That's not true, Estelle mouths, feeling rather as though the bottom has dropped out of her stomach. Although the memories of her captivity at Alexei's hands have, thankfully, faded, her words to Yuri on the Sword Stair are forever engraved in her mind. She'd honestly wished for death, at that time, but the fate of the wider world had taken a shameful second place compared to the harm and pain she'd been inflicting on her friends.

"I just wish I could make her understand how special she is," Rita says, so low that Estelle barely hears her, a sudden fluttering in her throat.

"You just have to find the right way to tell her," Judith says mildly, stretching with a yawn. Rita hunches her shoulders even further, as if to hide, and the sudden defensive note in her voice is clear enough that Estelle can easily picture the cute flush along the tops of her cheekbones.

"I-I'm not – I don't know anything about that stuff," she protests, before sighing. "People are way more complicated than blastia. I'm just deluding myself, forget it."

"Confusing yourself, maybe," Judith murmurs, and Estelle freezes as she looks up and directly at her, eyes unsurprised and neutrally assessing. H-had she known all along?

Stumbling back into the shadows as Judith says something about dinner being ready, Estelle is sure her face must be bright red. Dishonourable enough, to be caught eavesdropping; what would Rita say, if she knew that Estelle had overheard her secrets? Her heart pounding and her stomach twisted with an uncomfortably tangled mess of mixed-up feelings – shame, fear, hope, guilt, shock – it's a long time before Estelle regains enough composure to make her way back to the fire.

* * *

"This seat taken?"

Yuri's quiet voice makes Estelle start guiltily, looking up from the dying fire. It's late, or perhaps early, the moon dipping low over the mountains to the south-west, and the others have long since gone to their beds.

"Oh – Yuri." He looks tired, Estelle realises, like he could do with some sleep as well. "Where have you been? It's nearly morning."

"Don't tell me you've been waiting up for us." Yuri drops down to sit on the rock beside her, stretching out his legs with a sigh. "I had to show Flynn a thing or two, that's all."

"Oh, I wasn't waiting," Estelle demurs instinctively, then sighs as Yuri grins at her. "Where is Flynn? Were you two fighting again?" she adds, suspicious, but Yuri just rolls his shoulders easily.

"Nah. Think he's talking to the guards." He leans forward over his knees, feeding a couple of sticks into the fire. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Me?" Estelle blinks, clasping her hands on her knees and looking up to the sky. "I was just thinking that it's amazing no one realised before – Brave Vesperia keeps a fixed position, compared to the other stars."

"Huh." Yuri frowns, then shrugs. "Yeah, can't say I really noticed, but it is right over Zaude, huh? But I'm going to guess that's not the only reason you're sitting out here looking like someone stole your puppy."

"Oh." Estelle ducks her head, picking at a loose thread in the seam of her dress. It's becoming worn with use; she will have to find a seamstress to mend it once they reach Yurzorea. "Yuri, do you think I'm – strange?"

"Huh?!" Yuri sounds half-startled, half-amused. "Where'd that come from?"

"Answer the question!" Estelle insists, and he sighs his most put-upon sigh.

"Whoa, take it easy. You are pretty unique, I guess, but that's what makes you _you_. Seriously, what brought this on, Estelle?"

"I-it's nothing," Estelle says, turning that over in her mind. She'd lived most of her life set apart from others, but Yuri and everyone had accepted her anyway.

"Hey." A gentle hand drops onto her hair; Estelle starts, looking up at Yuri. His face is calm, concerned, patient, the usual bland mask of indifference gone. Somehow it's very comforting. "Is it that bad?"

"...I suppose not." Estelle smiles a little, though it feels wobbly. Her stomach is knotted with tension; she takes a deep breath to try and soothe it. "I... Yuri, I don't know what to do," she admits, quietly, dropping her eyes to her clasped hands. In the distance, armour links and the ships creak at the moorings as the sea swells.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Yuri asks – very patiently, Estelle thinks, for a question that he's asked her so many times! Drawing her brows together, it's startlingly easy to picture Rita stepping into her arms, tilting her face up to Estelle's with her eyes wide and a flush across her cheekbones, her lips parted...

Estelle squeaks in a thoroughly undignified manner, her hands flying up to cover her burning face. "I – I! ...Um."

"Heh." She can't bear to look, but its obvious from his tone that Yuri is grinning. "I guess our little princess is growing up."

"Yuri!" Indignant, Estelle forgets a little of her embarrassment. She's nineteen, not a child! After a moment, though, she deflates, realising that he probably has the right of it. She _has_ been sheltered, after all. "I just... don't know what... I mean, I've never even... Um," she finishes more than a little incoherently, dipping her head again in mortification.

"Yeah, I guess some things you can't really learn from books, huh." Yuri shifts as Repede comes padding up out of the night, flopping down at his feet with a huff. "I'm not sure I'm the best person to give you this kind of advice, but – don't stress over it. If it's meant to happen, it will, right?"

"...if it's meant to happen," Estelle repeats slowly; it's an idea she hasn't really considered, but as usual Yuri makes a lot of sense.

"Yep." Yuri waves a hand, airily. "Just – go with it."

"Oh." Estelle absorbs that. "Thank you, Yuri."

"Don't mention it." Yuri has the poker face on again as he reaches down to scratch Repede behind the ears. Repede yawns hugely, and Estelle giggles, the knot of tension that had been choking her starting to dissipate.

"You should probably get some rest," Yuri advises blandly over his shoulder; Estelle nods decisively, rising.

"Yes, I will." The wind is in their favour, but the journey will still be long and she has reports to read and speeches to prepare before they reach Yurzorea. "Good night, Yuri."

* * *

They make landfall at a tiny port in south-west Yurzorea in a thin drizzling rain that blankets the hills in mist and makes precarious the stone steps of the harbour. The low grey clouds are oppressive, and Estelle gratefully accepts the elderly mayor's offer to escort her ahead to the inn while Flynn and the Knights head for the guard station.

The inn is small, with only three rooms, but scrupulously clean and really, Estelle thinks, looking about at the decorative shutters and bright patchwork quilts, quite homely. The mayor and innkeeper both had apologised for the quality of the accommodations, but the beds, when Estelle flops onto one, are comfortable. After five days at sea, even the solid ground seems to rock beneath her; deliberately she concentrates on other things, thinking back to the notes about the area from Formlen's _Geography of Terca Lumireis_, and her own experiences the last time they'd passed through. Yurzorea as a whole is technically an unaffiliated territory, though many of the people look to the Empire and the Knights for protection. Many of the Guilds are also strong here – this village has a chapter of the fishermen's guild, befitting its status as a working harbour. The Hunting Blades, Estelle knows, also have a heavy presence on the continent due to the exceptionally dangerous monsters that inhabit the mountains and forests. She makes a mental note to ask the mayor how the people are coping, without the barriers. There hadn't seemed to be any air of danger in the town, but then many monsters do avoid the rain. The challenges here will be ensuring the safety of the people, so that they feel able to leave the town walls if need be, and probably, Estelle thinks, encouraging settlement through the continent as a whole. Too many people have reacted to the loss of the blastia by gravitating to the larger cities for safety; it's understandable, but it threatens small communities like this.

"Estelle?" There's a tap on the door, and Judith pokes her head around the frame. "There's some tea downstairs, if you want."

"Tea?" Estelle blinks, then rises to her feet, smoothing her skirt. On such a damp grey day, the thought of hot tea is blessedly welcome. "Thank you, Judith – I'll come down."

"Okay." Judith smiles, holding the door for her, and Estelle follows her silently down the stairs to the little snug behind the kitchen that seems to double as a dining room. Though she has been expecting it, Judith hasn't reproached her for having the bad manners to eavesdrop. It makes things a little awkward, and only the knowledge that it is really Rita who deserves it has stopped her from apologising profusely to Judith at the first opportunity.

"Oh hey, Estelle." Karol looks up as she enters, and hastily wriggles to one end of the settle to make room for her. Although he's grown in the year she has known him, his feet still dangle half an inch from the floor. "Man, it's a horrible day, huh?"

"It is a little gloomy," Estelle agrees, taking a seat beside him and reaching for the enormous teapot that stands on the low table. The innkeeper has also set out milk, sugar and a plate of tiny, unfamiliar pastries that smell faintly of almonds. "The mayor said that the fishing boats are out despite the weather, though."

"Yeah, they don't stop working unless there's a really bad storm," Karol says, busy rifling through his overstuffed bag in search of something or other. Estelle nods meditatively, pouring herself a cup of tea and wrapping her hands around the delicious heat of the china. Yuri is seated sideways in the window seat, looking out at the tiny walled garden and the dark green shadows of the wooded hills beyond, and Rita is cross-legged in an armchair at the head of the table, notebook in her lap and books spread open across the table before her. Estelle smiles to herself and takes a careful sip of the hot tea, savouring the delicate flavour as she lets the heat of it warm her.

"So, what's our next move?" Judith asks, taking a seat in the one remaining chair and sipping daintily at her own tea.

"Hmm." Estelle frowns, considering the progress they've made, and the distance they have yet to go. "Tomorrow Flynn and I will talk to the mayor and the people. After that, we'll head out east; there are several villages to stop at on the way, and we'll take ship to Tolbyccia from Yurzo Port. I'd really like it if we could stop over at Yumanju, but I wouldn't feel right about it, not on an official trip."

"Aww, Estelle." Karol looks up, pouting.

"That's no fun at all," Judith agrees lightly. "There aren't even any dirty old men to spoil it, this time."

Unaccountably, Karol goes bright red, choking on his tea. Estelle pats him carefully on the back as he coughs and splutters, and shakes her head. "No, the Empire is paying for this journey. I can't waste people's taxes on a pleasure trip, that's just wrong."

"You have a point, I guess," Judith concedes with a smile. Estelle sits back, relieved, as Rita looks up from her work, blinking owlishly.

"There's an aer krene at the other end of this continent. I want to stop by there and check it out before we go on to Tolbyccia."

"Huh?" Karol pulls a map out of his bag and shakes it open, laying it out across the table so he can peer at it. "Oh yeah, here." He points to a spot marked with – Estelle cranes her neck to see – a green star. "That's kind of out of our way, though – why do you need to go there?"

"So I can monitor the aer production, of course." Rita shrugs, scribbling something in her notebook and frowning as she examines it. "I also want to check on Estelle's effect on the aer krene, now that the spirits are managing her power."

"Me?" Estelle blinks as Rita frowns suddenly, flipping her pencil around to erase whatever she'd written. "Rita, you don't think..."

"Oh, you're not drawing on the aer." Rita looks up from her work, eyes sharp and assessing, as though for the moment Estelle is just another experiment, another phenomenon to investigate. "You don't need to worry about that; the spirits do a good job mediating it. I just want to check whether the aer krene would react to your presence, since your power is inherent. Or vice versa, of course."

"Oh." Estelle absorbs that. "Yuri, do you think..."

"We have time." Yuri waves a hand dismissively. "We're ahead of schedule, right? Pretty sure Flynn would rather you get this checked out, too – better safe than sorry, and all that."

"Okay." Estelle nods, biting her lip, then hastily puts on a smile as the innkeeper bustles in with a plate of cake. "Oh, thank you so much; it looks delicious!"

"My pleasure, your ladyship." The woman bobs a nervous curtsy and hurries back out to the kitchen as if afraid to disturb them. Estelle eyes the cake hungrily; it really does look tempting, but it would be rude to snatch it up before the others have a chance to take their share.

"Here." Judith, obviously having no such compunctions, offers her a slice; flustered, Estelle accepts it.

"Oh – thank you. Rita, would you like some?" she asks, mostly for something to say.

"Huh?" Rita looks back up from her books, blinking at her. "Oh, sure, I guess. Thanks," she mumbles as Judith passes her a plate, already absorbed in what look like very complex formula equations. Intrigued, Estelle cranes her neck to see, picking out the familiar crests arranged within the diagram. Sandor, Kaon, the elemental symbols she knows, but the intertwining lines are so intricate!

"Isn't that a blastia formula?" she asks before she can quite stop herself, pointing to the large diagram laid out across two pages in the topmost book. Rita glances up at her, swallowing cake and washing it hastily down with a mouthful of tea.

"Yeah, it's a pretty close approximation of an elemental mystic arte formula – or at least it used to be." She frowns, and Estelle shifts closer, examining the spiralling lines. She can see the intricate network that draws aer through the bodhi blastia, but it's surrounded by a more complex web of intersections that she's never seen, with a bare framework of elemental crests laid out around the core. Estelle traces the pattern with a careful finger, fascinated.

"This is so complex!"

"That's the interaction between the blastia and the caster." Rita stabs an animated finger at the formula crests. "That's why there's so much room for interpretation here. It's such individual magic that there are too many variables to properly express. This is just a basic pattern."

"I see." Estelle does, a little. "So – someone like Yuri or Judith would have a different type of pattern here, with... Fleck and Strihm?"

"Yep, exactly." Rita nods sharply, shifting the book to one side so she can spread out her notebook for Estelle to see. The pages are covered in scraps of notation and scribbled formulae. "The problem is that with the spirits – the whole _approach_ is different. They act as both the source and the expression of the power – it's difficult to explain."

Estelle sees – or thinks she does. "So in this formula, the direction of the power is the individual part?"

"_Exactly_." Rita flips to a blank page and starts sketching out a complex circle. "I mean, what I did went something like this, but that isn't going to help anyone else, because this whole thing –" she blocks in a series of mathematical symbols in the centre, connected by sharp lines – "is dependent on my particular resonance levels and mana absorption."

"Oh...." Estelle frowns, tracing the roughly drawn lines outward to the four great elemental crests. "This power flow doesn't look anything like..."

"No, look," Rita interrupts her, scribbling in an outer ring and some terminus lines. "It's convergent, not radiant..."

"Ooh." Estelle nods; that makes sense, given what Rita had previously said about using herself as a focus for the power of the spirits. "So... if it's dependent on individual aptitudes and levels, can you represent that mathematically?"

Rita stills, eyes widening. "...Maybe," she says slowly, in the absent tone of voice that tells Estelle she is working through some complex mental arithmetic. "Maybe so... there's still the issue that everyone has a different relationship with the spirits, but that's mostly affinity-based anyway... yeah, this could work!" The sudden fierce brightness of her smile, as she stares at Estelle, makes Estelle's heart pound and her breath catch. Suddenly it's as if there's no one else in the room, even the sound of the rain on the window distant and unimportant. Yuri's sudden dry cough breaks the moment with a start, and Estelle looks away hurriedly, fiddling with her skirt to hide her sudden flush.

"A-anyway, I need to work on this," Rita mumbles; Estelle doesn't quite dare to look up at her.

"Well, if you scholars are done for the moment," Yuri says dryly, rising with a stretch that doesn't cover the grin hiding behind his bland face, "I'm going to go check on Flynn. Coming, Repede?"

Repede, stretched out before the low fire in the grate, looks up at the rain speckling the window and barks his opinion of that.

"...Guess that told me," Yuri mutters as Karol snickers; Estelle covers a smile, reaching for a pastry as Yuri lifts a casual hand in farewell.

* * *

The rain lets up overnight, and by the time Estelle leaves the town meeting, Flynn at her shoulder, the dismal grey clouds are breaking up, patches of deep blue sky and bright rays of late afternoon sunshine showing through. The wind off the sea stirs at her skirts; Estelle breathes deeply, tasting salt and something fresh, like grass.

"I think that was quite a productive meeting," she says, pausing to speak to Flynn. "Don't you agree?"

"Yes." Flynn nods, serious, and the sapphire on his seal ring flashes, briefly struck by a shaft of sunlight. He'd looked a little embarrassed when she'd presented it to him, Estelle thinks, but he wears it well. "The basic needs of the people are the same the world over – they need to be assured of their safety, and that they can make a living."

"Peace, protection and prosperity," Estelle interprets, pleased with the alliteration. "This is what the Empire should strive to achieve.

"And justice for all." Flynn smiles as one of his adjutants comes rushing up.

"Commandant..."

"Just a moment," he holds up a hand to pause the man. "Lady Estellise, I'll escort you back to the inn..."

"Actually, I think I'd like to go down to the harbour for a little," Estelle says, turning to Judith, who is waiting patiently behind her. "Would that be all right?"

"Fine with me." Judith smiles at her, and Estelle smiles back, clasping her hands before her. Flynn glances between them, and bows politely.

"I'll leave you, then. Good day, Lady Estellise."

"Thank you." Estelle bows back, mostly out of habit, as he turns away, and spends a moment admiring the dashing figure he cuts in his shining plate, his cape billowing in his wake. Flynn really is the perfect Knight.

"He's not much like his predecessor, is he?" Judith remarks lightly; when Estelle glances over, she is smiling thoughtfully, her eyes following Flynn. "Still a little stuffy, though; it's hard to believe he and Yuri get on so well."

"I'm glad he's not like Alexei." Estelle shivers a little, remembering captivity and terror, and a madman's smiles. Over the months since his death, she's wondered often about what could have caused Alexei's descent into madness. He'd been a principled man, once, though always a little cold and formal. Estelle can vaguely remember being a little afraid of him, as a very small child. "I think Flynn and Yuri have a lot in common, though; Flynn can be very self-sacrificing, too, and I think he enjoys fighting just as much, even if he won't say so."

"He is pretty good," Judith agrees, and for a moment Estelle wonders how she can tell, until she remembers the attack on Nordipolica, and the founding of Aurnion.

"He makes a good Commandant," she says firmly, pausing at the roadside while a cart rumbles by. She can see the first of the fishing boats heading into port, the quays now vacated by the Knights' warships. "Did Mr Tokunaga take the Fiertia out too?" she wonders; there's no sign of their little ship.

"I think he went on to Yurzo Port," Judith says lightly. "Krones floated by a while back, and Ba'ul went to greet him."

"I see," Estelle says, fascinated. They pause at the harbour wall, watching the women of the town preparing to receive the day's catch. "Krones is much, much older than Ba'ul, isn't he?"

Judith laughs. "Oh, compared to Ba'ul he's an elder. Ba'ul respects him a lot, I think."

"So Entelexeia respect their elders, too?" Estelle wonders aloud.

"Entelexeia are people too," is all Judith says; Estelle thinks she hears a little sadness in her tone. She clasps her hands, watching the boats drawing into the harbour and the bustle of the people as nets and barrels of fish are unloaded and tossed about. Everyone seems so busy and happy; even young children are helping to fold nets and carry buckets of shellfish; the sight of one boy a year or two younger than Karol running back and forth with braces of lobster held at a careful arm's length makes Estelle smile.

"Um, Judith," she begins eventually when the silence starts to get a little uncomfortable, still not really quite sure what to say. "Do you.. think badly of me? I really didn't mean to eavesdrop!"

"Oh?" Judith turns to face her, one hand at her throat. "You didn't?" There's no censure in her voice, but Estelle winces anyway. For the sake of her honour, she must admit her wrongdoing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't intend to listen, but..."

"But Rita was talking about you," Judith finishes; when Estelle dares to glance up, her eyes are thoughtful and assessing.

"I... Rita didn't know I was there," Estelle says limply, looking down at her hands. Her fingers are clasped so tightly together that the knuckles are white. "It was shameful and unfair of me, and I apologise." She bows deeply, letting her hair hang forward over her face.

"Apology accepted, I guess." Judith shrugs fluidly, leaning on her spear. "I don't think I'm the one you should apologise to, though."

"Yes." Estelle nods, determined. She's not sure quite _how_ to make it up to Rita, but this guilt isn't helping anything. "Judith, do you... think Rita will mind very much?" she can't help but ask, though.

"Oh, dreadfully, I expect." Judith smiles at Estelle's taken-aback expression. "The two of you feel things so deeply. It's very cute."

"C-cute?" Estelle blinks, confused. "Do you really think so?"

"Oh, yes. It's rather adorable, the way you dance around each other," Judith says lightly. Estelle bites her lip, her face warm.

"Oh. I-is it really that obvious?" she asks – first Yuri, and now Judith; it's embarrassing to have her private feeling apparently public knowledge.

"Mm, well." Judith turns to look out over the harbour at the sun beginning to sink into the sea. "You do feel things so deeply, after all, and we're your friends, right? Is it a bad thing?"

"...Friends," Estelle echoes, consciously un-knotting her fingers. The setting sun paints her skin orange and pink, washes a warm glow across the white muslin of her dress. "I'm glad to have you all as my friends, Judith." Despite everything that's happened, despite the faint squirm of embarrassment over being so easily read, Estelle knows she wouldn't trade this for anything.

* * *

"Is it just me, or is this kind of creepy?" Twisting to look over first one shoulder then the other, Karol edges sideways until he's walking close to Estelle. Rita, just behind them, raises a fist to threaten him, but pauses, looking around thoughtfully.

"Okay, no; the kid's right. It is weird."

"Really?" Estelle glances about curiously at the trees; it's dark beneath the crowded pine branches, but the road provides enough of a break in the canopy that the sun can shine through, dispelling the slight chill in the air. "It seems pretty normal to me..."

"But there's no monsters!" Karol points out a little shrilly. "We haven't even _seen_ any since we left town. I-it's _weird_."

"Spoiling for a fight, Captain?" Yuri asks dryly, falling back beside them. "I'm pretty sure any self-respecting monster'd keep well away from all these Knights." Estelle can't help but notice, though, that he's carrying his sheathed sword in his hand rather than by its ties.

"Monsters don't have that kind of sense," Karol objects, and this time Rita does smack him – though not with a great deal of force.

"If you _really_ want be attacked by vicious monsters, go right on ahead."

"It is a little strange, though," Estelle says thoughtfully. "Rita, do you think the barrier weed is repelling them?" Thus far, the pots of transplanted creeper stacked in the wagons seem to be unaffected by the change in climate, though Repede still makes sure to keep upwind.

"I doubt it." Rita frowns, tapping her fingers on her crossed arms. "It doesn't seem to have a huge range, so it's more likely something else attracted their attention. We should probably be careful."

"Right." Yuri glances down at Repede, whose ears are pricked warily forward, then back at the column of Knights flanking the wagons. "Can't hurt to be prepared, I guess." There's a sudden clatter of hooves from up ahead as two of Flynn's outriders trot past them, back towards the main party. Estelle turns to watch them salute Flynn and give their reports, then frowns as the faint sound of something not the clop of hooves or the clink of armour seems to reach her ears.

"...what was that?" she asks, turning to peer into the woods, though it's so dim beneath the trees that she can't see much at all.

"What is it?" Yuri stops, looking curiously back at her over his shoulder, and Rita shades her eyes, following Estelle's gaze.

"I thought I heard something." Estelle frowns, stepping to the side of the road. "Off this way..." Had it been the wind, or...?

"I don't –" Rita starts, but Estelle cuts her off.

"There!" A faint, distant crashing sound, like something breaking. She takes another few steps into the trees, but Rita catches her arm.

"Don't just wander off!"

"But I heard –" Estelle begins, breaking off with a gasp as a faint but clearly recognisable scream sounds from somewhere off in the woods. "Let me go! Someone's hurt!" Tugging free of Rita, she breaks into a run, fumbling sword and shield into her hands as she dashes into the woods.

"Estelle! Wait up!"

"Shit! Estelle!"

Voices call from behind her, but she ploughs on, ducking low branches and leaping upthrust roots. The scream comes again, and Estelle adjusts the direction of her headlong flight. The dark of the woods is speckled with thin shafts of light that pierce the dense canopy, and the ground is soft with years of fallen needles. She can hear the stumbling steps of the others chasing her, but her head start is enough that she must have taken them by surprise. The spirits are an incandescent pressure surround her, whispering to her of monsters, an attack, so that when she finally bursts out of the trees to a scene of chaos and destruction, Estelle already has a spell half-prepared.

The words of the formula falter in her throat, though, at the sight of the overturned wagons, timber and charcoal scattered every which way, and the milling horde of monsters, great grey-black EX Rhinos with their vicious curved horns trampling through the wreckage. One of them looks up as she stumbles to a halt, blood dripping from its jaws as it chews on... that's someone's...

Estelle sways a little, suddenly, queasy, and grips her sword white-knuckled. "Oh light of heaven –" she begins, reaching out to the spirits for power enough to feed the formula, but the circle has barely coalesced around her when the monster lets out a bellow, dropping its gruesome meal and charging at her. Estelle is forced to bring up her shield to defend herself, suddenly the focus of dozens of maddened, beady eyes. The impact staggers her backwards, jarring her shield arm briefly numb, and Estelle slashes with her sword, aiming for the creature's eyes. It lets out a bellow as she connects, tossing its head so that the great, wicked horn grates off her shield, grazing her arm before Estelle pulls back.

"Ah!" It stings, but there's no time to think; several of the other rhinos are stamping and pawing a the ground, preparing to charge. Determinedly, Estelle sets the pain aside, lifting her sword to cast a defensive spell just as Repede dashes past her, a blue-white blur arrowing into the fray. He's followed by Yuri, sword carving a vicious arc into the monster that threatens her.

"Estelle! You all right?"

"I'm fine!" Estelle assures him, concentrating for a moment to gather power into her sword arm before releasing it in an efficient strike that splits the beast's horn in a burst of light. "Yuri, we have to check for survivors!"

Yuri grunts as another pair of monsters charge him from the sides. His sword is a blur as he moves into a strike arte, neither as easy nor as efficient as he'd once been capable of – Flynn had been right about him being an impatient scholar, Estelle thinks incongruously – but deadly nonetheless.

"Yeah, but we've got to get through these guys first!" Across the clearing, Estelle can see Karol hacking away at monsters; Judith is a blur of motion, picking off enemies from the air. Their efforts seem to be making little difference; Estelle has never seen this many monsters grouped together since Aurnion was founded. What can have happened, to cause this kind of stampede?

"Knights, to me! Charge!" Flynn's voice cuts through the din, and the sudden clamour of armour as the Knights take to the field is a blessed relief. Almost immediately, Sergeant Briggs and his men are at her side, forming a gleaming silver-and-white phalanx around her.

"My Lady! Please allow us to protect you!"

"Oh, thank you!" Estelle casts quick eyes across the battlefield; Karol looks fine, and Yuri has a grin on his face and an unholy light in his eyes as he darts in to attack, but Repede has pulled back behind Flynn, favouring one paw. Estelle pulls the spirits close, the healing spell coming automatically to her lips, and no sooner has she released it than the lilting murmur of Rita's voice somewhere behind her becomes a triumphant cry.

"Meteor Storm!"

Estelle gasps as the bombardment begins; it never fails to impress her, that Rita can channel so much power so effortlessly. Then she catches her breath again as a wild-eyed rhino heads straight for Rita, bellowing. Rita lobs a fireball at it, but it barely slows. Estelle lunges for her even as she trips through the words of another spell, catching Rita by the sleeve and dragging her into the safety of her circle of Knights.

"Stand firm!" Sergeant Briggs orders, as the White Knights brace their shields; Estelle narrows her eyes, casting Holy Lance to destroy the enemy in a flare of light.

"Estelle!" Rita stumbles, clutching at Estelle's arm for balance, and Estelle spares her a smile before turning back to scan the battlefield for injured. It's a disquieting sight; despite the charge of the Knights and the efforts of Brave Vesperia, the monsters seem as thick as ever, milling among the splintered carts. Yuri and Flynn are surrounded, fighting back-to-back, but before Estelle can call out a warning or call up a spell formula, Judith drops out of the sky, clearing a brief path. Estelle sees one of the Flynn Brigade stumble, almost going down beneath trampling hooves, and hastily casts First Aid to stem the blood staining his armour. As Rita snaps out her sash, muttering equations that turn into the incantation for Tidal Wave, Estelle's eye is caught by a sudden flash of bright colour and movement as the monsters shift. Huddled beneath the axle of one of the upturned carts is the figure of a young man, clearly visible, the back of his green shirt soaked with bright blood.

"Oh no..." Estelle falters, the words of another spell dying on her lips as the boy stirs, groaning. A few scant feet away, a rhino lifts its head from trampling – Estelle doesn't look too closely, but its hooves are sickeningly painted with blood.

It's like the rest of the battlefield vanishes; there is only the distance between herself and the person who needs her protection. She is too far away to cast Barrier. Pushing desperately between the Knights, Estelle breaks into a run, ignoring the startled cries that follow her.

"My Lady!"

"What the – Estelle!"

"Estelle! Look out!" Rita's cry of warning comes too late; with all her attention on her goal, Estelle doesn't even see the monster that hits her from the sword side, ripping her arm open from shoulder to elbow in a shocking flood of pain and blood. The world swirls around her, and she staggers back into another behemoth of hard grey skin and scale that shakes her off with a bellow. Estelle stumbles, light-headed and struggling to breathe, to keep her footing. Everything is swimming; the air seems to sparkle around her. It's as if she hears Karol's voice in her ear again as she reaches the limit of her endurance. _Brave Vesperia was a blastia, right?_

The words seem to come of their own accord, the rawness of her throat suddenly distant and unimportant. It's like someone has lit a lamp in her mind, and for the first time she really _understands_ what Rita had meant about convergence.

"Oh brightest star of heavenly protection, oh saviour of a fallen age, the Child of the Full Moon calls on you now!" The air around her becomes heavy, pressing down her as her tongue trips through the words. "Awaken once more, Brave Vesperia!"

The sudden flood of power all but paralyses her; Estelle thinks for a moment that she is losing her vision, until the receding daylight reveals the stars springing to light overhead. The blinding spear of light that arrows down to earth is enough to make her eyes water; dimly she hears the exclamations of the Knights, Yuri and Rita's voices still calling her name as the monsters begin to scream. The light flares, and Estelle cracks her eyes open to see it resolve into a shining form, towering over the battlefield with sword in hand. Monsters dissolve beneath the glowing blade as it swings in a massive arc, and Estelle's breath catches in her throat at the sudden sense of _presence._

Then, with a rush, the power dissipates, the light fading into a stunned silence broken only by the pained bellowing of a wounded monster. Estelle's knees give out, and she sits down hard, staring around at the suddenly empty field.

"Oh," she manages, wondering for a moment whether she might faint as everything spins sickeningly.

"Estelle!" Rita stumbles over, dropping to her knees beside her and grabbing for her arm. "You're... huh?"

"Oh," Estelle says again, blinking down at the unblemished skin showing through the bloody tear in her sleeve. She hadn't even noticed she'd been healed. She feels limp, drained of even emotions.

"Th-th-that was awesome!" Karol dashes up with a yell, wide-eyed, and suddenly everyone is crowding around her, a babble of concerned voices.

"Hey!" Yuri's sharp tone cuts through the throng, and Estelle blinks up at him gratefully as he crouches before her. "Let her breathe. Estelle?"

"I-I'm fine," Estelle says, though she's not at all convinced of it. "Rita, let me go, I need to help..."

"Like hell you do." Rita glares at her pointedly. "If you're feeling anything like you look, you need a pineapple gel, stat." She produces one from her pouch, ripping off the packet and holding it out to Estelle.

"But there are people hurt!" Estelle protests, turning her head weakly to look around. The Knights have finished dispatching the wounded monsters and are starting to collect the bodies of the civilian casualties. Abruptly sickened, Estelle has to swallow hard to force the gel down, and the tingling sensation as it does its work makes her shiver.

"Flynn's got it," is all Yuri says, as one of the Knights calls urgently for a healer.

"But..." Estelle tries to get her legs under her, but Rita has tight hold of her arm. "I should help..."

"Yeah, how about no." The sudden heat in Rita's eyes, fierce and protective, makes Estelle's breath catch. "Where the hell did you get that formula from, anyway? I've never seen anything like it!"

"Oh..." Estelle frowns, thinking back. "It just... seemed right." She'd called for him, and he'd come. "I think I understand the story now."

"The story?" Rita blinks at her, clearly nonplussed; Estelle thinks she might be wondering if she's hit her head.

"Brave Vesperia ascended to the heaves to watch over us, while the Child of the Full Moon remained with the earth," Judith quotes; when Estelle looks up at her, she is leaning on her spear, her eyes thoughtful.

"Yes." She nods, looking up to the sky. "He – Vesperia – was an Entelexeia. He sacrificed himself, along with the Children of the Full Moon, to hold back the Adephagos."

"...Huh." Yuri breaks the silence, rolling his shoulders thoughtfully, before glancing over to Karol. "I guess our guild has a pretty honourable name, after all."

* * *

The mountains around Niffel Lake are high and silent, capped with snow even now in late spring. Estelle folds her hands on the wooden rail at the edge of the fortified campsite, contemplating the distant peaks. The attack had necessitated something of a change in plans; rather than a town meeting, at the last village they had attended funeral ceremonies for the five woodsmen who had lost their lives. The whole town had seemed plunged into shock and grief, and Flynn had left behind a large contingent of Knights as a reassurance.

No matter how much people rely on the Empire's protection, Estelle thinks, watching a distant hawk circling lazily in the pale early-morning sky, the Knights cannot be everywhere, and no mage can bring back the dead.

"Here you are." Rita's voice makes Estelle jump; she hadn't really heard her step.

"Oh, Rita, good morning," she offers, turning, then chokes on a giggle; Rita's eyes are still cloudy with sleep, her hair sticking up at the back where she has been lying on it. "Oh, here –" she reaches out, past Rita's startled expression, to smooth it down for her. "There."

"Ah... thanks." Rita clears her throat, face pink, and looks away, back towards the camp "W-why are you up, anyway? It's barely dawn, you know."

"The mountain air is so fresh, I feel like I've slept forever." Estelle looks down at her hands. "Rita, I..."

"What?" Rita asks, after she falls silent; Estelle ducks her head, wondering what has happened to her courage.

"Oh, I was just – thinking about that mystic arte," she says hastily, turning to Rita. "Don't you think he looked a little like Flynn?"

"Oh..." Rita blinks at her, then shrugs. "Yeah, maybe. He kinda reminded me of Yuri, too."

"Really?" Estelle frowns, thinking back to the blinding light, and the indistinct figure of the spirit she'd summoned. "Do you think so?" Rita, she thinks, had probably had a clearer view, without the distraction of that roaring torrent of mana energy.

"Maybe." Rita shrugs, looking out across the mountains. "I've been trying to figure out the formula you used, but I'm beginning to think it's unique to you."

"Really?" Estelle absorbs that, frowning in thought. It's difficult to remember _how_ she'd done it, now; it had all been so instinctive at the time.

"It seems to be tied in to the way your power interacts with the spirits, and with light-oriented mana in particular." Rita shrugs. "I'm pretty sure I couldn't hope to duplicate _that_."

"Oh." Estelle twines her fingers together; Rita sounds so very clinical. Ever since – since the attack, she's been looking at Estelle like an experiment again, and it makes something uncomfortable knot itself up in Estelle's stomach. She wants Rita to see _her_, not her power.

"Um, Rita," she manages eventually, when the silence begins to stretch thin into awkwardness. "There's something... I mean, I need to apologise to you." She clasps her hands over her middle, bowing a little, as Rita turns to look at her curiously.

"Huh? Why?" She flushes a little as she meets Estelle's eyes, then looks away, scowling defensively. "I-I mean, you don't have to –"

"Yes I do," Estelle insists, bracing her courage. "Rita, I... that is, the night before we left Desier, I overheard you talking to Judith." She bows as low as she can manage, face hot. "I'm very sorry!"

"O-oh." Rita sounds stunned; when Estelle dares to peek up at her through the fall of her hair, she is every bit as red-faced as Estelle fells. "I didn't – Estelle, you don't have to do that, just – just forget about it, okay?" she manages, eventually, in a strangled voice. Estelle straightens, hopeful.

"You mean – you'll forgive me?"

"Y-yeah," Rita mutters, looking pointedly away from her. "I mean, you're... yeah," she finishes weakly. Estelle beams in relief, reaching for her hand.

"Thank you, Rita!" Neither of them are wearing gloves, and Rita's skin is shockingly warm against her palm for the moment before she pulls away, as though she has internalised the fires of her spells.

"W-what are you...?"

"Oh." Estelle steps back as Rita ducks aside, tucking her hands guiltily behind her back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"Would you stop apologising already?" Rita mutters, and Estelle almost misses the wary way she glances up from beneath lowered lashes.

"O-okay. Um." Estelle casts hopefully about for a neutral topic of conversation. "Rita, do you think Yuri and Karol and the others will be able to learn new mystic artes too?"

"Hmm." Rita tips her face up to the sky, clearly considering the problem. "It depends. As the theory stands, it takes some familiarity with the spirits to work with them in that way. _Some_ people are more interested in hitting things than learning to manipulate mana with the proper formulae. Blunt force really isn't enough to channel high-level spirit energies like that."

Estelle giggles despite herself, imagining the face Yuri – or Flynn! – would make to that. "I think Yuri would say – 'Whatever works,'" she tries to imitate his deadpan tone, but it comes out sounding strangled and silly, and Rita snorts with amusement, turning to lean on the railing with a yawn.

"Whatever. It might all come to nothing, anyway – that's another reason I want to check out the aer krene." At Estelle's blank look, she elaborates. "It's just a theory at the moment, but – well, excess aer cases imbalances within organisms and ecosystems, right? You remember those aersick monsters at Keiv Moc and – on Hypionia?"

"Uh-huh." Estelle nods, fascinated. Rita waves a hand to illustrate her points, as though she is lecturing.

"So, what effect would a thousand years of increasing aer concentration have?" Rita looks at her expectantly, and Estelle blinks, then starts as she thinks through the implications.

"Oh! So... you think the monsters became more vicious because of the increasing aer?"

"Exactly." Rita nods. "I'm looking into it – I still need to do some more research, but a lot of the illustrations in the really old bestiaries don't look anything like the monsters we know today."

"Rita, that's wonderful!" Estelle claps her hands, delighted, and Rita turns away, cheekbones and the tips of her ears flushed pink.

"I-it's just logic," she protests. Estelle smiles, turning to look out at the mountains, and the road that winds eastward through the valley below. Five more days to Yurzo Port, and the coastal towns beyond. It feels like this journey is barely begun.

"I still think it's amazing that you figured it out," she says loyally, secretly pleased with the way Rita splutters and blushes. She's so cute!

"W-well, I think _you're_ amazing," Rita blurts out defensively; Estelle's eyes widen as she turns away. "I-I'm going to make breakfast or something."

Her irritated stomp back to the camp has something of a desperate retreat about it. Estelle just watches her go, wide-eyed and with a sudden fluttering in her stomach. What had that been...?

* * *

"Over here!" Karol yells, waving from atop a small rise. "It's this way!"

"I know that!" Rita snaps, stomping up and shoving him aside – her mood has been sour since they left the last town, and she's barely spoken to Estelle, poring over her books at night as if she can decipher the secrets of the universe given enough time. Estelle hurries up beside her, peering down into the little hollow where cool green vegetation encircles the upthrust rocks of the aer krene. There is a tangible sense of peace here, and Estelle can see the tension in Rita's shoulders relax as she heads down the path.

"Estellise, come with me," she order. "The rest of you, wait out here."

"Estellise?" Estelle blinks, hesitating as Yuri steps up behind her shoulder.

"Looks like she's in serious mode," he comments dryly – though not, Estelle notices, loud enough that Rita will hear him.

"Yes." Estelle bows her head; it's unexpectedly painful, for Rita to put such distance between them. "Yuri, do you mind?"

"It's fine." He glances aside at her, bland-faced. "You go on – I guess we'll make some lunch out here or something."

"Okay." Estelle nods farewell and hastens her steps down into the little hollow, hurrying to catch up to Rita. It's startling how quickly the low sound of Yuri and Karol's voices fades, until the only sound is the soft rustle of grass beneath her feet and the slow, dreamy hum of insects drifting beneath the low trees. Somewhere off to her right, a frog chirrups quietly.

"Wait here a minute." Rita stops before the rocky arch that leads down into the cave, frowning as she pulls up a console. "Hmm..."

The formulae that cycle across the viewer are too complex for Estelle to read more than a few variables, but she thinks Rita must be examining the concentration of the aer. She closes her eyes, enjoying the tranquillity of the moment.

"Interesting," Rita mutters; Estelle opens her eyes to see her glancing about as she dismissed her formula screen with a casual gesture. "The ambient levels are _much_ lower than even a few months ago. It seems like we still haven't reached the natural pre-blastia levels."

"So... aer production is still decreasing?" Estelle interprets, and Rita glances briefly at her.

"It should have reached a stable level by now. I guess we didn't appreciate how high the concentration had become – without the blastia to absorb it, it's taking a lot longer for living things to process this much aer, so the production slows down to compensate. It should reach an equilibrium pretty soon, though."

"I see." Estelle looks about at the leafy shrubs and trees, then up to the few clouds drifting by overhead. "It seems healthier, somehow."

"You can tell?" Rita eyes her sideways, then shrugs. "Whatever. Come on, I want to go down to the spring."

"Okay." Estelle follows slowly in her wake as she ducks beneath the uneven arch of stone, heading into the cavern. Though at first it seems impossibly dark after the brightness of the sun, once her eyes adjust Estelle can pick out the faint glimmer of the crystallised flowers that cluster alongside the path, as the pale glow ahead becomes gradually brighter.

"Let's see..." Emerging into the cavern, Rita tugs her goggles down to cover her eyes, tilting her head to first one side and then the other as she prowls from the clusters of crystals to the lip of the ledge, hands on her hips as she gazes down into the glowing pool of aer. Unwilling to disturb her work, Estelle hangs back by the entrance until Rita pauses in her examination, turning back to face her.

"You can sit down or something, you know. This might take a while."

"Oh – okay." Glancing around, Estelle picks a patch of moss growing beneath a hollow in the stone wall, and takes a careful seat. The crystals of the aer krene seem paler than she remembers, more green than yellow; Estelle wonders whether she's imagining it, or if perhaps it's an effect of the lower aer production.

"Hmm..." Rita has another console up and is typing rapidly, pausing occasionally to poke at the crystals with a strange rod-like instrument that looks like coloured glass. "As I expected – hey, Estelle, can you draw the spirits in? As if you were going to cast, but just hold it instead of releasing the mana into a formula."

"Um, I think so." Estelle frowns in concentration, reaching out to Undine, Sylph and Gnome as though to begin a healing spell. It's unexpectedly difficult to keep hold of the power, without an outlet; the mana swirls and tingles along her skin, looking for a way out, and Estelle gasps with the shivering rush of it. "Oh – Rita –"

"It's okay, you can hold it." Rita taps frantically at her console, scowling ferociously as Estelle sways where she sits, clinging to the mana charge with everything she has. It sets her teeth on edge, and her hair feels like it should be standing on end.

"R-Rita," she manages, and Rita nods frantically.

"I know, just a little – there!" She stares at the console intently for a long moment, then sighs with what sounds like relief. "Okay, you can drop it now. The curve is holding stable."

Estelle exhales a long, grateful breath as the captive mana drains away like water from an upended vessel, leaving her empty and faintly cold.

"Here." Rita wanders over, holding out the strange instrument, and Estelle takes it curiously.

"What...?" It is glass, a thin tube with some strange liquid swirling inside.

"It'll react to any changes in the aer flow," Rita explains shortly, already pulling another piece of arcane equipment from her pouch – a disc of some reflective substance on stubby silver legs. "Just keep hold of it while I set this up."

"Okay." Estelle examines the tube curiously; the liquid within is viscous and seems faintly luminous, even in the glow of the aer krene.

"There." Rita drops down beside her, pushing her goggles back up into her hair. "It'll take a while to get a decent reading." The satisfied expression on her face, though, indicates that she considers the experiments to be going well. The pale light of the aer crystals paints her skin white and her eyes dark, dark green; Estelle cannot quite bring herself to look away, even when Rita glances up, catching her eyes. Here, without the wariness she shows to others, and with nothing to prove, she is compellingly beautiful. Estelle swallows past the lump in her throat, pressing a hand to her stomach to stem its fluttering.

"Uh." Rita breaks the thread of their glance, shifting as though to get up. "I should..."

"Rita –" Estelle reaches to catch her wrist, and Rita startles visibly, staring at her wide-eyed. Even the flush across her cheekbones is adorable, and somehow Estelle _knows_ that if she lets this moment go, there will never be another like it. They will finish their journey, and go their separate ways, back to the capital and the half-rebuilt laboratories of Aspio, and this – this _wanting_ will wither with time and distance. The thought is terrifying; Estelle swallows again, taking firm hold of her courage, and leans in to brush her lips tentatively over Rita's.

It's nothing like she'd expected, or allowed herself to imagine – Rita's lips are soft and dry against hers, just a faintly warm pressure, stilled with shock. Suddenly nervous, Estelle pulls back, dropping Rita's wrist to clasp her hands in her lap. She can tell without looking up that Rita is staring at her.

"I – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." she trails off, because she _had_ meant it, she _does_, and this is the most awkward that she has ever felt. "I don't – I've never –" she stammers, miserable, before she's stunned into stillness as Rita reaches firmly for her hand, their palms fitting together warm and faintly damp.

"Estelle." Rita sounds bewildered, embarrassed, determined. Estelle looks up at her, blinking in startlement as Rita shifts awkwardly closer, face flushed pink in the dimness and eyes wide. "Just shut up and – just shut up," she finishes, hesitating only momentarily before leaning forward to catch Estelle's mouth with her own. Giddy with dawning delight, Estelle presses forward into the kiss, sighing a little as her eyes flutter closed. It really isn't anything like she'd imagined, but it's no less perfect for that.

* * *

"Hey." Rita glances up at her as she packs up her equipment; she's still flushed and a little stunned looking, and Estelle feels like nothing in the world could wipe away her smile. The stillness of the aer krene is all around them; it feels holy. "You said before that you want to live in Halure, right?"

"Yes." Estelle nods; when she closes her eyes, she can picture them there, the flower petals dancing around Rita's face and settling in her hair. "It's so beautiful there. Right now, though, I need to support Ioder as much as I can." People are still nervous, without the blastia to rely on; Estelle knows that as the second heir, she needs to be visible. "It's strange; I thought that knowing how big the world is would make the capital feel even smaller, but now that I've chosen it, I don't mind it so much."

"I guess that's what freedom is." Rita wanders over, offering her hand; Estelle takes it to get to her feet, and doesn't let go. "You know, some of the other mages were talking about starting up a laboratory in Zaphias." She glances aside at Estelle, almost diffident. "I guess Aspio isn't that far from Halure, either, once they've rebuilt it properly."

"Really?" Estelle smiles, twining her fingers with Rita's as they head up and out into the brightness of the day. "I think I'd like that."


End file.
